Pre-Chinese New Year Haircuts

Dear Readers,

As a custom, I went to have my hair cut before Chinese New Year. Lately its been very dragging and huge, so much so that I usually hide it in a pony tail.

Meeting my hairdresser is always a joy, especially since I’ve lost weight. Today he complimented that I look prettier! and have a nicer body shape (thank you!). And because of this weight loss, I was FINALLY able to layer my hair so that my long bangs end mid-cheek. I was a bit shocked when he proposed to layer my hair starting that point,

Stacy: Really? Will it look pretty? (in my ghetto speak thai)

Hair Dresser: Yes! You can do it now because you are skinnier.

Wah..fabulous.

He always has something nice to say, just like a few months ago, when he noticed that I was no longer pregnant. I can so vividly recall him saying: “You have no more….*handmotion over his stomach like a baby bump* baby!”

When he was cutting my hair I told him he could go shorter, like around my shoulder?..and he happily just cut cut cut away. I should really be more vocal. I felt like saying , “Hey Buddy. enough is enough!” But instead, I sat there biting my bottom lip.

He cut away all my curls, but he gave my hair some movement, so it looks somewhat wavy? I guess that was what he was going for.

And as he was just about finished blow-drying my hair he says, “hmm…not pretty.”

HE ACTUALLY SAID THAT! <– lol, WHAT!?!?!?!

He says my personality suits curls more, and asks me to come back for the ultimate hairkiller – 3 hours of perming and highlighting. (double duty damage!) all for 3,500baht!

…

But I like my hair, its different than the usual mane I wear, and I’ve lived with curls for the past 2 years, so I suppose it’s time for something new. But then again…after dinner I couldn’t stand it, took out my curling iron and gave myself loose ringlets again.

hmm…

Anyways, cheers to the Year of the Ox and for new beginnings!
Stacy

Santika’s Inferno – More Insight

Dear Readers,

I found this 2 accounts of what happened at Santika that night: Lights were shut off and everyone was scrambling in pitch darkness with suffocating smoke. No emergency lights.

A post by a Singaporean: detailed account plus actual photos of sparklers given in the club (A Must Read)

Another user Vince gives his account

I appreciate them sharing what really happened,

In shock,
Stacy

Bangkok’s 2009 Early Tragedy – Santika’s Inferno

Dear Readers,

I am pissed.

I am pissed at the whole situation, and pissed because Jamie lost her friend Win in the Santika tragedy.

Imagine this, December 31st 2008, a Goodbye Santika party, with performance from Joey-Boy and a band called Burn.

Party goers were handed sparklers to celebrate the new year. Santika was a chic happening club, a club where tourist went,  and higher-than-normal folk – society people partied. Outside the club, you could see a line of expensive cars – ferraris, minis, bmws, and mercs. I went there once with Neha, and have to say, I liked it. Yes it was the typical Thai style dance club – with tables on the dancefloor, but there was a little dance floor room near the stage (from what I remember) so any club with a dance floor gets a two thumb approval from me.

But what we really overlook when we do go clubbing, are fire exits, the presence of sprinklers, fire extinguishers, fire alarms, emergency lights…I guess we either assume that nothing bad would happen to us – or – a club would obviously have all these safety measures because they have a club liscence. – right?

That law of logic basically goes to shit in Thailand. That whole list? fire exits…sprinklers..fire extinguishers…- not adequate.

Santika decorated their stage with normal curtains – not fire retardant ones. Fire extinguishers? – One.

Sprinklers? – none that I know of. Fire exits? – 3 but 2 back exits were only known to the staff – not even the fire fighters knew about it.

So what really happened that night? Its a piece by piece put together, but the rough idea was that about around 12:20-35ish the band BURN celebrated the new year by using FIREWORKS (not stage fireworks) on stage, and immediately the ceiling (that was made of soundproof material) caught on fire. Some revellers thought it was even part of the show, but when the ceiling started to fall on them (not a whole chunk at first, more like ashes) a panic broke out. Somehow, people on the 2nd floor realised the fire before people on the ground floor, and everyone was rushing to the main exit, so that some deaths were caused by the stampede.

I read here and there, and one man said he jump kicked the glass windows on the ground floor, and only made a small hole and felt so helpless didn’t know how to get out. Worse – on the 2nd floor the windows had grills.

The fire was further amplified because of the bottles of alcohol on the main dance floor (remember, Thai clubs have bar tables on the dance floor, thats how Thais party, head bobbing and minimal booty shaking around their bar table.) so there were mini explosions from the alcohol bottles.

1,000 people, stampeding out of the 3 storey building, mainly using the 2 metre wide exit.

It took the fire fighters 2 hours to bring the blaze under control. Total – 64 people dead, 240+ injured.

Of the 64, there were 17 bodies that were burnt beyond recognition – charred. When they couldn’t locate Jamie’s friend Win, by the 2nd day, I had a strong gut feeling that it was bad news. His mother had to fly in from Myanmar for DNA testing and they found him, his girlfriend Laika and his friend Mark all near the back exits.

After googling alot about the incident, my mother found a post on thaivisa.com, someone who similarly was missing 4 friends. Then on a facebook group, I saw the same post, but the photo that was shown to look for the missing people did not include Win, so I didn’t think it was him.

Turns out, after giving Jamie the link, she pointed out that the people in the photo included Mark and Laika, but Win wasn’t there (maybe he was taking the photo).

So this was his story:

“We believe the girl was hit by debris from the roof, and her bf tried to help, but either passed out, or he and my bro managed to get her to the rear exit before passing out. Unfortunately, when the rescue teams came, they only went in from the front… As for the last friend, apparently he had already managed to get to safety, but didn’t see any of us, so went back in… He was found in the vicinity of the entrance, only a few meters from the 3…”

He was 26, a MBA student at ABAC, and Jamie’s friend/mentor (in the Debate club) for the past 4 years. He was also Dianna’s close friend, so its devastating for the both of them. I didn’t know him, but I always remember Jamie raving about him, how he is such a nice guy.

And the way he died, trying to save his unconscious girlfriend, most probably being knocked out conscious from the falling ceiling, or succumbing to the clouds of smoke…and the most UPSETTING thing – seeking refuge/hope by circumventing the crowds – going to the back exit and having it overlooked by fire fighters.

I’m PISSED! Pissed at the lack of safety regulations in Thailand. Santika did not hold a club liscence – they only had a liscence to run a food stall. FOOD STALL. Bribery is how they got away with it, probably paying police/inspectors 100,000 baht a month (at least).  In total, Santika made an estimate of 60 million baht per year in revenue.

This is how Thailand works – its called systemic corruption – corruption that is more than just one bar owner and one tainted cop, its a whole SYSTEM of police, government regulators and business owners. I recently spoke to a friend who opened a pub/restaurant near her home. I asked her if she had proper liscencing, and she told me quite frankly that she doesn’t, she knows a high police official in that area, and so pays a bribe of 1,000 baht per month to the police.

1,000 baht, can you believe that?

Days like this I am very disgusted to live here, and there is a facebook group that now shares places to boycott and be aware of when clubbing. Here is a link showing the fire exits for a popular gay club called DJ STATION : Look at this crazy ladder exit.

You know, I was watching Oprah’s Best Life – the Spiritual episode, and one interviewer said he was stuck in an airplane crash -Dante’s Inferno and he saw aura lights leaving the passengers’ bodies. Some were bright some were dim, each aura had a different strength to it. I’d like to think that Jamie’s friend Win’s aura left very bright, just from the photos that I saw of him, all the posts his friends wrote about him, and stories from Jamie and Grego, I know that he was a fun loving individual, always caring and selfless – this was especially illustrated at his heroic attempt to save his girlfriend – it is a damn dirty shame that the back exit wasn’t adequate for them to be rescued.

To see his facebook dedication page, please click here

May all the victims of Santika’s inferno find peace in their afterlife, know that they have touched many lives and are deeply missed,
Stacy

News articles:

Police: Many Victims were Foreigners

Rescuers helpless as flames engulf revellers

Teenagers flock to Santika to take photos of “ghosts” (this link is a bit freaky.)

Few and far betweens

PM Samak was asked to resign because he breached the constitution, he had private employment during his term of PM.  

The cooking show, Tasting and Grumbling (what a catchy name) was the ultimate down fall of his political term as PM. Apparently, he was asked to appear on 4 episodes, and was paid 20,000 baht per episode.

*gasps* 20,000 baht!

Quite frankly, that is considered peanuts compared to what I was given a quotation to hire emcees for a talk show….I agree – taking money from a private firm is bad, very bad…but..er hmm…how about as honoraria? debatable no?

But that’s besides the point, it is quite amazing (AMAZING THAILAND!) that they can oust him based on this charge. Rather that using any of the bazillion-and-one reasons to have him removed, he was caught red handed wearing an apron and frying chillies.

Nigella Lawson, I love you, if you do get into politics, please remember to give up your Nigella empire – yes that’s right,  Nigella Express and Nigella Feasts have to get axed too.

In my opinion, finding a man who enjoys cooking is quite a feat. Few and far between.

Thank you for punishing a man who has a passion in cooking, so much so that he unknowingly sacrificed his power and position for it.

Cheers to few and far betweens.