Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the new year and ends on the full moon 15 days later. The 15th day of the new year is called the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated at night with lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade.
The Chinese calendar is based on a combination of lunar and solar movements. The lunar cycle is about 29.5 days. In order to "catch up" with the solar calendar the Chinese insert an extra month once every few years (seven years out of a 19-yearcycle). This is the same as adding an extra day on leap year. This is why, according to the solar calendar, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year.
In February the festival that Thai peoples known is Chinese New Year. The children are very loves this festival because they’ll receive “Ang-Pao”- the red case that has money inside. And every Chinese people in Thailand will pay respect to Chinese god in the day before Chinese New Year.
This year I’ll tell my experience in this festival. As you know the children love this festival because the money that they received and it’s like a family day for us. We came to the family’s center house and talking that what happened in the past year. Three years ago we’ve been to Pattaya all our families and go to the beach at Pattaya Park. In Pattaya Park you’ll have a lot of fun because they’ve an excitement machine. More than the machine you’ll have a great experience with a swimming pool. And then we return to Bangkok. The next day we move to different place where we working for and continue working hard. For the other who didn’t work they moving to the famous Chinese temple on Chinatown Thailand the name of this temple called The Dragon Temple. So many of Chinese people will come and pay respect to their god and prey for a better year to come. You must have 21 joss sticks to pay respect for the god inside this temple. When you finished from this temple you can walk through a lane next to this temple to go to the “Por-Teg-Tung Foundation”. This place is also a Chinese temple but you can write your name on the paper and go to pay the money 15 baht each name and the Chinese monk will prey for you all day all night. And the famous thing from this temple is the sago palm from the Chinese monk’s prey. If you eat this sago palm you’ll be better for the New Year to come. If you want to go to pay respect for a god in the Dragon Temple don’t forget 12 oranges and 21 joss sticks or you can buy from the shop in the temple. The day before Chinese New Year day is the day that god went to the heaven and in Chinese New Year day god will came down from heaven to give a blessing to Chinese people.

NBA Basketball League

From the beginning I was a student who didn’t know basketball. Until my friend came and invite me to join the game. From that day I was very love basketball. I started watching NBA from that day. My first match that I watched is Chicago Bulls versus Utah Jazz. I must admit that I’m a biggest fan of Michael Jordan. His skill and ability is very world-class. Now I want to tell you about NBA that I’d watch in my life.
In 1997 Michael Jordan is a superstar in basketball all around the world. He retired in the end of season. However his name is still in my memories. Few years later he decided to come back but this time it’s not easy for him because the new generation of NBA has improve the standard and other factor is his age that too old for modern basketball. He played a shot time for Washington Wizard. So the new generation was show up his name is Kobe Bryant. This guy was cool because his first season for LA Lakers his name was in the All-Star Game. “How can he do that?” I wasn’t surprised because Kobe was team leader in scoring in regular season. That time the journalist in USA compared Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. In my point of view both of them is a superstar but in different time. I almost forgot one thing that is in the past a basketball shoe call Air Jordan is very expensive but it very beautiful. I brought it when I was 13 years old. Now I throw it in the garbage already because it torn. The biggest event of the season is the All-Star game. In this event the fan of NBA can vote players to play that game and in that day we’d the other competition that is Slam-dunk Contest and 3-points shoot. I love this event because you can see the extraordinary things happened such as a powerful slam-dunk or a skillful dunk. And in the match western conference versus eastern conference and the player is the superstar that you voted play against each other. It’s a greatest moment for who have a chance to watch.
From the story that I narrated I want to tell Thai people that basketball is a very entertaining sport just like soccer but it scored easier than soccer. For people who want to practice to play basketball I suggest that you must read the rules and you must know about how to score and defense. If you know already you must keep practice and you’ll be a great basketball in the future.

Valentine’s Day

Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday? The history of Valentine's Day and its patron saint is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.
I’ve something to tell you before I start the story. I’m a Buddist and I know nothing about St. Valentine. So I search from the internet and I’ll tell you the whole story that I think it real. Start form who is St. Valentine? From the information Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single man made better soldier than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men his crop of potential solider. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to dead. From this story I realize that St.Valentine cherish the love so much. As he maybe a priest but he knows the power of love. I didn’t think that he were a bad guy because he tried to protect love from someone who didn’t want it. As you know 14 February is the day that we must reminded of St.Valentine but the teenagers in Thai do the opposite thing. They buy a expensive gift and flower to exchange with their boyfriend/girlfriend. That’s make the government realize that they need to warning the girl and boy from sex because an orphan child in Thailand have very much. Teenager can’t responsible for a new life that they make so they left the child at hospital or in garbage. I think this year the government must carefully about the teenagers and their moral. If I were a government I’ll send advertising on television all channel to warn the teenager and using superstar in Thailand to tell our children about good moral. The last we should publicize ST.Valentine biography and make people realize the true meaning of Valentine’s Day.

Manchester United

Barclays Premier League is the best league in this world because it’s have a greatest managers and greatest players form around the world. And one of the biggest clubs is Manchester United. I assure that if you have a chance to watch United played you’ll feel like a time has stopped everything around you has stopped. The reason that I dare to assure because I’m the one of united fans.
I started watch Premier League since 1999. That year United has won a triple famous champs namely Barclays Premier League, The English FA Cup and The UEFA Champions Leagues. In the final match of Champions Leagues United was leading by Bayern Munich 0-1 but the amazing thing happened in the additional time United score 2 goals on last 2 minutes of the game and win the match 2-1. Do you believe it? The most incredible thing happen on first year that I’d watch United played. It’s very good feeling and stuck in my heart that United is a very good fighter and nicely style of played. From that point I turn to Red Devil fans immediately. Let’s talk about the players. My favorite players are Paul Stoles and Ryan Gigs. These two players is the productivity of the academy of Manchester United. Now Gigs is 34 years old and Stoles 32 years old. A long serve player for United that the fans and the club love them so much. A nickname of Gigs is “Wizard Winger” because his dribbling skill is very good and the vision and creativity is excellence. I don’t surprise for that nickname. Now Gigs nearly to beat the record of Sir Bobby Charlton who played the most for United. The situation today United was follow the Rival Arsenal 5 points and have a game in league 12 games. I believe the devil will rise to the top soon. Former United player and England superstar David Beckham. These guys came from the academy too and archive the success with United before he had a trouble with the manager Sir Alex Ferguson. And Fergie sold Beckham to Real Madrid in Spain. I believe the people around the world 95% know who is David Beckham. From the 3 player that I’d tell I abridge that the academy of Manchester United is the best one in this world. From now soccer will change the style and pattern. If you want to success you must prepare from now and plan you future like United that training and signing the youth hope that one day they will be a superstar like the past players.

The New Year Celebrate

In Thailand has many celebrate, and Thai people are likes the New Year celebrate.

The New Year is the public holidays in Thailand. It is the occasion for religious and festive events.

**This advertisement in front of a temple announces "the end of year is coming and welcome to new year". It invites to do good actions such as freeing fish, freeing birds, doing alms, giving a coin in 108 bowls in order to repair the old "VIHARN". They also come to listen to Dharma speeches told by monks. Famous Thai temples often organize feats to attract visitors and donators. Temples near rivers might organise boat contests.Two molam concerts are happening on 31st December and 1st January

For New Year holiday, I and my family will go back to Choum Porn, It is my other home.We got dinner, and including lobsters and beers. Many Thai people go back to their home in Thai provinces, too. Of course nobody forgot overnight the deaths but many here would like to see a bigger picture of what's really is the life here. It doesn't mean nobody are concerned anymore, but we just want and we have to live. Bangkok has lost its traffic jams for a few days. Thai police also made many controls as casualties are numerous due to alcohol abuses. In the New Year Celebrate, many of people will have accidents come from drunk-driving.

Many Thai people also organize evening feasts for New year's eve. Often Thai people go from one feast to another. At midnight and during the following days, everybody greets each other with the saying "SAWATDEE PI MAI". It like "happy new year!".

On the 1st January morning, Thai people go to Buddhist temples to listen to the Dharma and make donations to the monks. After the Buddhist ceremony, everybody leave the temple. A new day is starting but it is the first day of a new year. For the new year first Buddhist sermon, Thai people are smarter and wear their most elegant clothes.

FOR LUCK IN THE NEW YEAR TRADITIONAL, it was thought that one could affect the luck they would have throughout the coming year by what they did or ate on the first day of the year. For that reason, it has become common for folks to celebrate the first few minutes of a brand new year in the company of family and friends. Parties often last into the middle of the night after the ringing in of a new year. It was once believed that the first visitor on New Year's Day would bring either good luck or bad luck the rest of the year. It was particularly lucky if that visitor happened to be a tall dark-haired man.

Traditional New Year foods are also thought to bring luck. Many cultures believe that anything in the shape of a ring is good luck, because it symbolizes "coming full circle," completing a year's cycle. For that reason, the Dutch believe that eating donuts on New Year's Day will bring good fortune. Many parts of the U.S. celebrate the new year by consuming black-eyed peas. These legumes are typically accompanied by either hog jowls or ham. Black-eyed peas and other legumes have been considered good luck in many cultures. The hog, and thus its meat, is considered lucky because it symbolizes prosperity. Cabbage is another "good luck" vegetable that is consumed on New Year's Day by many. Cabbage leaves are also considered a sign of prosperity, being representative of paper currency. In some regions, rice is a lucky food that is eaten on New Year's Day.