- if you had Meditated...
- you should be really-super by now.....
- similar to myself
Update - 2016 February 01
What I require =
to be ignored until I ask for something like when buying food just normal (without cheating) NO need special. unlike your rich people..... I will NEVER marry or have a girlfriend. I know women's behavioral characteristics too well. At a distance, they are nice. Once they become friends.... No matter how good a woman is, the WORLD (samsara) is NOT good enough. I just screwed Brahma (4 faces bastard) by insulting him with eaten coconuts and drinks with my spit. I told him out loud, in his face, that the drinks contained my spit. That Erawan shrine that is a tourist attraction in BKK. I put those on the floor. He had a choice. The reason = Thais are NOT good. They pray to him. There are many types of Temples in Thailand 1 = those with Buddha Statues only 2 = those with Buddha Statue AND Brahma 3 = those with Buddha Statue AND GuanYin 4 = those with Buddha Statue AND many many others I know which ones to avoid. Just look see look see is ok. While riding yesterday, a thought occurred to me. What is a Brahma without the 4 Brahma Viharas.... wahahahaha When riding the day before, I suspect I moved between the 4 Brahma Viharas... Metta, Karuna Mudita, Upeka shiok When riding the day before yesterday, I directed Metta to a higher degree of accuracy. I walked barefooted yesterday and played with mental states.... pain->no pain->very pain->no pain->cool->no cool->sabai sabai purity at that very moment controls the body and move it beyond physics i guess. thais were like 0-0. no big deal. i was just Mental. bwahahahhaaha Thais like FACE so much that they pray to the 4 Faced basturd The Thais didn't realise they had thrown ALL their own faces by offering Perns to every KonDiao farang. It is ok if in hotels or brothels. BUT if everyone had access and knowledge of someone for SALE.... it is like all Pimps and Pros? do me a favor, if i need boom boom, I go boom boom places. Mai Ow Perns (don't want friends with benefits). Mai Mee Ngern (no money). Kon Diao enough to spend only (money enough for one person only). go cheat some one else. no cheat also don't want. i cannot trust thais. seems like there is one farang every day who commited suicide from BKK condos + pattaya... Must have had his retirement savings cheated till there is nothing left. i didn't learn much thai language or consonents. I learn culture. I learn how to order food. i don't want to learn more thai because you will start talking non-stop to me. a bit when buying stuff is ok.....
and talk much = understand much = pern offered much much. mai kao jhai is a blessing ;-) English Phrase = silence is golden. typed a whole lot and it just reloaded without pressing any button people who try to Control others people who try to Manipulate others people who try to Force others They do these because they have NO good Intentions. That is why they have to Lie, Cheat and Force. They do NOT have the Ability nor MORALITY nor Logic nor Intelligence to Convince others of their view point. They lack the Assets to back up their Nonsense. Rubbish they are. To live with Rubbish is Painful To live with the Wise is Delightful Amongst those with Avarice WE (temple dwellers) live Happily Copy with modern and hurtful interpretation from the Dammapada (2 different ones) Google Chrome hahahaha My calfs crammed from the lack of salt and more than 24 hours worth of riding without much rest. When it crammed the third time at a traffic junction, i let myself fall on the sidewalk's raised platform. As I rested in the most unbecoming disposition, a Caucasian who was sitting there came and put his hands in praying position and bowed.
I waved him off and told him I am human. He proceeded to the traffic lights and then turned around and shouted = get up! I replied instinctively = For what?! Pride and Conceit? He must be an American Army trained buffoon. Gotcha! You just confirmed who is behind all these spreading of Misinformation and Manipulation using Cell Groups psychology like in Christian Churches. Divide and Conquer eh? Sinkies learnt their lesson the hard way. Now for the Thais. Picture dump. Grandmother wanted to go to the beach. Asked my Grandmother's Indonesian maid to bring her there and i will meet them there. As instructed, she called me at home before she leave. I don't have a mobile phone. When reached, I used a coin public phone to call her, She went to Tampines instead and asked me to wait 25 minutes. I told her I don't like Indonesian food the other day. Now I don't like Indonesian women too. I walked alone. Aunt told me the camera I gave her was still with her. So I took the charger and 6 AA batteries along with the Canon SX150 (12x optical zoom but terrible pictures) back to charge. Since Grandmother was NOT there, I stayed longer and had dinner before returning home. I made it a point NOT to buy any telephone SIM card this time round in Cambodia. It worked well so much so that I will like to dispose of both the laptop and phone to reduce the travelling weight. There are Hotels and Cafes with WiFi or as a last resort, the internet cafe which I am up loading in Myanmar now. As a trial, I haven't took a single picture from the day I landed in Myanmar, before noon on 14 Feb till now which is 16 Feb evening. I can live without both telephone and laptop. Do NOT message me by Line or WhatsApp or WeChat or SMS or whatever. Send an email if needed to inform but do NOT expect any reply or even receipt. I will NOT be checking emails until I am out of the temple which date is unknown. I have made a booking from the 18th of February till the 10th of March because my Visa expires on 14th thereabouts. Just enough time to get out before my Visa expires. If it all goes well, I should NOT need to be contactable anymore which is a true blessing. Short Videos 1 = http://youtu.be/P_AsDGGVF7M 2 = http://youtu.be/KsaqN3VjXzs 3 = google cannot process because it is probably less than 1 second 4 = http://youtu.be/F6F8Js-3uTU 5 = http://youtu.be/90LhNh60Nos 6 = http://youtu.be/NS0zZ9BoS18 7 = http://youtu.be/WjKwbgn-kY0 8 = http://youtu.be/YRv41wZ6jeY 9 = http://youtu.be/wR63o2VQZCo 10 = http://youtu.be/pyJY1HHLyKk Arrived evening 05 Feb. Spent 2 nights in Bangkok and took the non-luxury train to Aranyaprathet which is bordering Cambodia. Photo and Video dump. Note - my head is always inside the carriage when the train is moving. just flip the phone around to make sure the camera lens is outside, with the rest of the phone inside. this way, you do Not risk having your head removed unintentionally Youtube videos Some are sunset videos. Keeping them short as usual. 1 = http://youtu.be/n0FKCOfBGPg 2 = http://youtu.be/UKgyuYG4NhM 3 = http://youtu.be/W9HM9YPXhgI 4 = http://youtu.be/HJkPMpMp7J8 5 = http://youtu.be/Q6d3sCmTETw 6 = http://youtu.be/m7VFsd45EvI 7 = http://youtu.be/m_rja_4BsqY Day 3 in Krabi Photo dump Got a nice bumpy ride back Video links The last few are for the bumpy ride :-D 1 = http://youtu.be/kxCHFFkeUlk 2 = http://youtu.be/4KSG6NmL4wI 3 = http://youtu.be/o-6LzMKxPwM 4 = http://youtu.be/NuGIfxLiny4 5 = http://youtu.be/eWP3TpsEMy8 6 = http://youtu.be/2axffpPFFdw 7 = http://youtu.be/QLeQfVwnQDw 8 = http://youtu.be/YMCjNPHeang 9 = http://youtu.be/ShhNGixWM-A 10 = http://youtu.be/vX7H8vzs0gM 11 = http://youtu.be/sNnmLHN-4y0 12 = http://youtu.be/TfePvTBVuUc 13 = http://youtu.be/m4V9K0p_VA0 14 = http://youtu.be/GdNT4xwOBYQ 15 = http://youtu.be/c_RlBgtdgIA 16 = http://youtu.be/adwWPwWcV_E 17 = http://youtu.be/r9k0sEEtm2g 18 = http://youtu.be/OkaQSwknqbo 19 = http://youtu.be/8CLyikBblJ4 20 = http://youtu.be/SYvTY-VZa-Q 21 = http://youtu.be/hww4EmYR8u4 22 = http://youtu.be/M6Y3KMo78Qo 23 = http://youtu.be/QR0-vLGpn3M 24 = http://youtu.be/ZoMh6sIcpyo 25 = http://youtu.be/-nXdNcRZLvE 26 = http://youtu.be/YXxw9CIchVg 27 = http://youtu.be/n-AMipy04rY 28 = http://youtu.be/479S22iFDJM The Clickable links doesn't seem to be updated. Typed this sentence to force a write on the Weebly. Day 2 in Krabi Photo Dump. 1260 steps to the top. Legs became jelly on the way back. I guess this why the Thais are famous for their massages. Reached Krabi yesterday. Today go explore. Photo Dump Click on photos to see a bigger picture. Use your arrow buttons to move forwards and backwards Wat Phraphutthabat Tak Pha Pa Sang District Lamphun Thailand Went to the mechanic today, but it was closed. So I made a detour to San Pa Tong to find out more about the other shop. Took super highway 11 instead of the usual 121 or 108. After filling in petrol along the way, asked the cafe in the Caltex petrol station after Saraphi for directions with my paper book map (don't like this one, still prefer the older big green one). Met the noisy parrot there. After going some way down the road, looking at Google Maps on the Mobile, I decided against his to turn after Makro. Chanced upon the temple in the first few pictures but did not go in. Along the way saw a big statue. After a turn and further down the road, saw a sign for Simanta Vipassana Meditation Center. That piqued my interest and I changed my route yet again. It says 25km. After around 25km, there is another sign that says 10km. Argh, here we go again. After making a turn, I saw the big Stupa on a hilltop. Went straight for it. Upon arrival, I remembered I was here last year on a group trip organized by my meditation teacher and led by our translator. I didn't know the name of the temple till now. hehehe. Paid my respects had lunch and I am on my way again. Didn't walk up to the Stupa. Went furthur into the hill locked land to the Simanta Vipassana Meditation Center. Spkoe with the lady at the registration office to find out more. It is a Goenka Center suitable for people from all religions. The course is 10 days minimum but day of arrival and departure is not inclusive. Plan for 12 days at the very least. Courses are held twice a month. Make bookings at least 1 month in advance. You can find out more at = http://www.dhamma.org/ I enquired what is the difference between the Goenka method and other Vipassana methods. I was told that they can feel energy of emotions of others. Asking what should one do when in a negative environment and all sorts of negative engergies are being felt, I was told they use Upekkha ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upekkha ). The center is having its rest days, between courses, for cleaning and I was welcomed to roam around and take pictures. Incredible! yay! I am concerned about city people who uses this method because cities, especially big ones are extremely negative to me. What if they cannot remain equanimous in the presense of all that negativity of their cities? Even though I was invited to try it out, I remain apprehensive of being more sensitive to others. You will have to decide for yourself. Saw a truck with coconuts by the roadside and had a refreshing drink. Ended up at the cafe at closing time. Was given directions but no chance for coffee. Thanks to all I met today. It had been wonderful. Short Videos uploaded on Youtube Sky lantern with shooting - http://youtu.be/mSVPM-rrkWc Sky lantern light up part 1/2 - http://youtu.be/tCl5fmldgX0 Sky lantern light up 2/2 - http://youtu.be/Eefsobf5xLQ Sky lantern prelaunch - http://youtu.be/zToxwWIbkQs Sky lantern release - http://youtu.be/amOlbQTCVv0 Thai concert 1/4 - http://youtu.be/HxHDpDTmN8w Thai concert 2/4 - http://youtu.be/lgJy_rKhIuc Thai concert 3/4 - http://youtu.be/9_FKRy-caUc Thai concert 4/4 - http://youtu.be/2qNyqNRwckY Thai concert surroundings 1/2 - http://youtu.be/ACf1In06AbU Thai concert surroundings 2/2 - http://youtu.be/20e7OUjCI9s Loy Krathong in the canal - http://youtu.be/2vzGjD_aWTM Maya shopping centre - http://youtu.be/kApjNL1Lc1k small fire cracker with burst - http://youtu.be/X-s0T2Aq3Gg small burst - http://youtu.be/dDfCbT9Yqpw stationary burst - http://youtu.be/nZwwDkasn10 small burst - http://youtu.be/AhXbXAG8wdc The shopping centre is about 15 minutes away by foot. The rest of the videos are within 300 meters or 5 minutes by foot from my apartment. Super noisy. And the aeroplane flies overhead (depending on wind direction) because the airport is very near. Good thing is I get to see the mountain every day. Took a few videos. Hit the bed and big bangs was heard. Didn't bother to get up. Part 1. Lanterns and little fire crackers viewed from my apartment balcony. Saw many fireworks display but didn't get the chance to take videos of it. Collected some donations some time ago. Part of it is used for today's ceremony. Went to the Wat Chom Thong, got on the allocated minibus and off we go. Don't know where is the temple or what is its name. Forgot to check GPS while I am there. Only checked when stopped for coffee on the way back. We took 106 from 108. It was a nice experience and that is all that mattered. Had dinner and opposite the usual night market place is a bigger night market which I spotted on my previous trip. I went across and took some pictures. On the way back to the hotel, I saw the firecracker shop opened. They open only a few times a year. I stopped and got a selection to try out. Playing with fire crackers in Chom Thong, Chiang Mai, Thailand. I had no prior experience to handle them so I requested the friendly hotel staff to show me how to set them off. Everyone joined in and had a little fun watching the light show. They suggested the big lantern and we left to get those 10 minutes before 8pm (closing time I guess). I got a little something more to shoot the lanterns down but mission failed. hahaha This is something I wanted to do since last year. During mid November last year, I was in the meditation hut and was not supposed to leave unless necessary. Missed Loy Krathong. This time round, I am outside the temple and early so... muahahahahahahaha Videos here =
Game of Life – Snakes and ladders People from the older generation may be familiar with the old board game – Snakes and Ladders. Above is a sample of the board game. The game begins where a few people start at number 1. They roll a dice and move the number of steps according to the number on the dice. When a person lands on a Ladder, he follows the Ladder upwards or forwards. When a person lands on a Snake, he follows the Snake and slides downwards. According to my findings, this is similar to Samara in the Buddhist religion. Assuming the following for illustration and simplicity -
A being (person) moves between the 3 simplified states with each rebirth. Depending on his Kamma and last thought at death, he moves up and down. When living, he makes more good and bad Kamma due to his circumstances. It is like a roll of dice. And he moves accordingly. For practitioners of the Buddhist faith, the ultimate goal is to win the game (100) and get out of the game (Samsara). The pitfalls (snakes) are many. Note there is a Snake at 99 that leads down to 27 (Woeful States). From what I know from the Buddhist teachings, it is similar. Doing good deeds and accumulating lots of Good Kamma brings him to the Heavens. But when his Good Kamma has been exhausted, his time in the Heavens will end. Leaving only Bad Kamma, he goes to the Woeful states (eg Hell) and starts all over again. Up and down, a person goes through the cycles of rebirths. One slip and he falls, starting all over again and again and again. It is Not all that bad. There is an escape clause in the form of an Ariya (a Noble one). An Ariya will NOT have a rebirth lower than that of a Human due to his practice and attainment. There are 4 types of Ariyas
Suffering is ever present in this Human Realm. If a person really wants to avoid going through all these again, the last 2 stages of Ariya, Anagami and Arahant are the only guarantees of avoiding the Human Realm altogether. It is therefore necessary that a person practices diligently to attain, at the very least, the state of an Ariya. Otherwise, up and down a person goes with no end in sight. It can be millions of years before the next opportunity for Human rebirth. A person is borned with nothing material and dies with nothing material. The MIND comes and the MIND goes with each rebirth. Buddhism Practice stays with the MIND because the practice is the conditioning of the MIND. Kamma follows the MIND because Kamma (Good or Bad or Neutral) acts on the volition (intention) of the MIND itself. The MIND is the Chief. Rein it in. The problem identified by the Buddha is stated in the 4 Noble Truths The solution is in the last of the 4 Noble Truths = The 8 fold path. Meditation is just 1 of the 8. The remaining of 7 out of 8 provides the necessary conditions for your Meditation Practice to bear fruits. Without establishing in virtuous conduct, Concentration will Not arise. Without concentration, Wisdom will Not arise. Without Wisdom, Enlightenment (or states of Ariya) is Not possible. The above are my personal findings from what I had read. Feel free to correct me. Buddhist terms and doctrine can be found here = www.accesstoinsight.org Boom Boom Boom past few nights. Took the opportunity to play some music louder than usual. Rants = RedMi no good for night photos. Amorak on LinuxMint hates both USB 2 and 3 connection to RedMi. Came by the steak house near ny place. Parked behind and saw friuts stall. Ordered my steak then went to get some fruits. Saw a supermarket selling fresh organic produce. Back at the steak house, noticed it is connected to a minimart. Ate after shopping. Had diarrhea about an hour after consuming the dragon fruit. And another watery episode with purple output. The dragon fruit had been expelled and body detoxed by either the coconut or dragon fruit or both. @-@
Part 1 here = http://ironycm.weebly.com/blog/bike-workshop
Rode to a couple of places and when back from the temple on 8 Oct, the front shock acted up. It was harsh with no damping. 10 Oct = Went to the second workshop to get it checked out. One mechanic said it was fine and another guy came to support his findings. I asked for fork oil to be replaced but they didn't want to do it initially. I asked if the mechanic is confident to ride pillion with me to the mountain and he changed his mind about the fork. He told me that he will need 3 days for fork oil to be delivered. He called a person who said was a Yamaha technician and after speaking with that guy on the phone, the mechanic asked me to come back the next morning. Went to the private workshop (opened by the guy previously from 2nd dealership) and got my brakes rear brake pads replaced as it was squeaking. The old pads still have a long way to go and I asked him to keep it for other bike. He said he don't have the tool for the fork. Understandable because his business started not too long ago. 11 Oct = Went to the 2nd Yamaha dealership and they replaced the oil in the fork. (no need to wait 3 days, don't know why) but I am worried. I went for a coffee while they work at it. Took some pictures at the coffee shop with Peaberry coffee. The fork was better but not ideal. I asked him to put more oil. He refused and insisted it was good enough for my 5000km trip I was thinking of doing. I said I will pay for the additional work and oil, as usual and in addition to that, I will buy him a meal with drinks and desserts and a packet of cigarettes. He refused. The 2 other staffs were there and he went hiding behind for a while. I was amiable the whole time and his action tells me that something wasn't right with the fork and he couldn't fix it. 13 Oct = Went to a 3rd Yamaha and asked if they have fork oil. They have. Told them to replace it and they say OK (I had lost confidence in that 2nd dealership now). I added a few more items to be done and ask them to give me a quote. Engine oil, belt oil, coolant, spark plug etc. I told them I will go to the Food Fair next door while they service the bike. They asked me to wait a while and they were on the computer looking at their part numbers etc. Took pictures of a housefly there to keep myself occupied while waiting. After around 30minutes, they tell me it is done. Only the easiest stuff – engine oil and belt oil was replaced. (no confidence in this one as well) 14 Oct = Went to the lake not too far away. 15 Oct = Went for classes and to put a cigarette lighter socket into the bike. Bought 1 inclusive of installation at 250baht. I was brought across the road to another shop to fix. I asked for a switch to be installed in addition to the fuse and they wire it to the ignition. After a few hours, the bill was 500baht. I walked over to the other shop, that guy came over with me and gave me the change for 250baht. 16 Oct = Testing the socket with the USB charger, the speedometer reading went to max while the bike is stationary. Since the installers mainly do car audio, I c an understand it is not their expertise. Went to the private place and asked him to fix that, he say no multimeter, I offered 100baht and told him that the socket is already installed, all he have to do is to run a wire from the battery to the socket, cut those wires to the ignition and add a switch. Asked for the carburettor to be washed. He agreed and asked me to come back at 2pm. Told him the rear brake which he replaced the pads were not working properly. He insisted it was working fine. Came back at 2pm, checks were done for the brake and wiring done for the socket. Carburettor was washed, spark plug replaced and he said the rear brakes no problem. Paid for the switch and wires with the other stuffs. I asked for a battery replacement to encourage him to install the LEDs. 17 Oct = Went up the mountain for coffee (>20times). I had a big rear slide just after the temple but recovered without problem (rear brake sticky). Further down, I braked behind a car and dropped the bike at very low speed (front shocks not working). Thank goodness damages are mere cosmetics for the bike. Some scratches for myself but the impact cause something inside to tear making lifting the left arm painful. Rode back down and had dinner. 18 Oct = Went back to the second dealership and showed them the injuries. A different mechanic was there. He rocked the bike on the forks and said the fork was OK too. I asked him to test riding. While he was at the bike, I asked him to hold the bike, I took a picture. I asked him to sit and took another picture. The shocks compressed to almost nothing with just his weight on. He didn't need to test riding after that. Fork oil was produced and replaced. He used a big jug to measure the amount. The minimum level was 100ml while the requirement was 54 to 66ml range for Yamaha scooters. He told me he put 100ml in each fork. Gasp! With my left arm injured, I can barely ride much less test. I went to the private mechanic and asked him to remove additional oil and check the whole fork. Battery was to be replaced to encourage him to help me install the LEDs which I bought. Was quoted 600+Baht. Appointment was made for 20th Monday. I showed him the LEDs which I bought. 19 - 21 = Stayed home most of the time to recuperate. Mainly rode the bike for meals and a little shopping 20 Oct = Went to the private mechanic and he just sold the battery. He bought some LEDs too but of a lower quality and higher price. We tested and he saw the difference. Appointment made for Thursday. I told him to do everything at one single time so he don't have to keep stripping the bike many times. 22 Oct = Found the shocks was harsh again. 23 Oct = Before going for my appointment with the private mechanic, I thought I will give the 2nd dealership another chance. After speaking with the mechanic, he went inside. A lady came out and met the mechanic behind, I rode off, the mechanic shouted to ask where I was going and I replied I will be back in 10 minutes. Went to the private mechanic and asked him to test and fix the issue because I was expecting a whole bunch of excuses. Ate breakfast and went back to the 2nd dealership. All sorts of excuses were given at the 2nd dealership for a new fork which was purchased from them about 3 months ago. Given up on them, I requested to take pictures of the service manual which I found the other day on the rack amongst many others. Took pictures of 2 relevant pages. Went back to the private mechanic with the pictures. Asked him to test the brakes again because it had now become very sticky. I asked for hourly rate for fixing the bike, he proposed 100baht per hour which I agreed without bargaining (standard rate is 50baht at dealers). He said he will need 3 hours. I brought him to a motorcycle parts shop to purchase the parts required and showed him where to buy the better quality LED bulbs at a cheaper price. He told me he bought the battery at a far higher price than advertised at that parts shop. While at the shop, I wanted to send him the pictures of the service manual to request for the parts. Asked for his Line ID but he say he don't have and gave me his facebook account instead. Parts were purchased, brake cable no stock, went to 3 more places, 2 of which I had been before. All no stock. We exchanged bikes and I went for lunch. I dropped by after lunch to check on him at 2.30pm. Bike wasn't touched at all. Seeing that and keeping in mind that he said he needed 3 hours, I asked if I can collect at 6pm (3.5hrs later). He agreed After replacing the brake springs, he says brake cable not needed anymore. He used a 5ml syringe to measure fork oil. Upon removing the battery, it was a Yuasa circa 2014 Jan. Decided against replacing it with similar and since we are on hourly rate now, it is fair. Browsing his facebook account on the computer with auto translate (phone no translation), I saw true human nature again. Humans are all the same. Haha I referred to the many pictures I took to put everything in chronological order and help with the recollection. Black and white cannot beat colour jpegs with EXIF. Hah~! Part 1 here = http://ironycm.weebly.com/blog/bike-workshop Was at the immigration a few weeks ago and the TV was promoting Mae Ngat. Had a little trouble searching for Mae Ngat on the web because the video spelt it as = Mae Ngan the road signs spelt it as = Mae Ngad the maps spelt it as = Mae Ngat This is a known problem and having checked with the nice staff at my language school, I know it is near Mae Taeng. No problem locating it on the maps thereafter. Mae Ngat is a dam at a lake in Chiang Mai. It is near Mae Taeng. Knowing that 107 is a more direct path to Mae Ngat, I took highway 1001 because of the construction on 107 near Mae Rim. Go straight on 1001 until at the mountains, and take 1323 leads you back to 107 and then on to Mae Ngat. There is a coffee place with an elevated view of the lake at boat launch area. A boat ride costs 500 baht for a 15 minutes (one way) return trip to the restaurants and chalets somewhere out there. You get to make an appointment with the boatman for return timing. The menu for food is available at the launch counter and you can place your order anywhere. They communicate via walkie talkies. There is nothing much at the destination. Good views, food, kayaks for rental and that is pretty much it. I spent an hour there to relax and take some pictures. I asked for the fan to be turned on and they told me there isn't any electricity. I spotted a lead acid battery powered speakers and a solar panel thereafter. So if you plan to stay there, don't bring any device that requires electricity. Both Dtac and AIS does NOT have signals there. The boat can pich you up at 6pm if you wish to catch the sunset but that is Not good for me because I will be heading back to the city after dark on my motorcycle. I don't like to ride after dark because the flying insects are plentiful and the potholes hardly visible. It is a good place to chill and probably catch the sunrise and sunset if you stayed overnight. I have no idea how much that will cost. There is a short flight of stairs leading to the dam, concealed behind the sign board that I took a picture of. I spotted a man decending from there while taking the picture. He says it is OK to go up. There is another flight of stairs leading to the lake itself on the other side. I didn't go down that way. Took the direct 107 back to city. The traffic wasn't as bad as last time. Today's place of interest is Doi Tao ( lake ) which I couldn't find the other time. Went passed it again and ended up at highway 106. Didn't want to stop because the ride was enjoyable. The 17 inch rims went over the little potholes without any fuss at all. Worth every penny. Put in some petrol and asked for food nearby. Was directed to opposite the petrol kiosk. Had sticky rice with soup. I was pouring soup on my sticky rice, the lady saw and brought brown rice when she suspected I may have digestion problem with sticky rice. Very thankful to her but I am OK with sticky rice. Her gesture was commendable though. She gave me directions to the lake but I understood little of what she was trying to get across. Used GPS this time round. Went to a temple along the way. Paid my respects. The landscape reminded me of the stone forest near Pai I went with a friend some time back. Very nice feel to it. Renovations are in progress. Stopped at a few more places for a few pictures Took the turn for Mae Wang National Park and chose the higher path at the fork. It is a beaten track after the tar road ends. Parked at the side and went down for a walk. When I came back, there were 2 men taking photos. Ended the day with a hot soak at Thep Panom hotsprings. Was looking at Telephoto lens for mobile phones at a shopping centre after lunch. There are only telephoto lens for popular mobile phones such as iPhone or Samsung Galaxy xxxx. They come with a specific plastic holder for a specific model only. Having a RedMi, I am out of luck. Same for flip cases and screen protector although I managed to get a guy to trim a Matt protector for me some time ago. The do have a 3 in 1, clip-on for Macro, Wide and Fisheye which I don't need. Went to Daiso (60baht shop) to browse. Saw a LED torch light with a tiny convex lens in front for focusing the light beam, interesting. Saw a magnifying glass, more interesting. Saw old man clip-on reading glasses, very interesting. Saw a loupe with clear circular base, very very interesting. Got the reading glasses because it came with 2 lens instead of the loupe. Back home, I played around a little with the mobile phone camera, the reading glasses and my spectacles for shortsightedness. By clipping my glasses with the reading glasses in reverse = slightly wider angle view By clipping my glasses with the reading glass the normal way = an even wider view For old man with both glasses and those clip-on reading glasses, just hold that combination vertically and put the mobile behind horizontally, with one arm of the spectacle frame resting on the mobile phone. You now have a wide angle lens. With both pictures have the same left edge, note that the second picture have the circular building in view. Distortion is really bad but i didn't paste the lens flat together. Will take out the lens of my old spectacle and paste both of them together if I have a jewel screw driver. The first picture is the phone at minimum distance it can focus. The second picture is the phone at minimum distance it can focus WITH the lens of the old man clip-on spectacles. This was what I bought at Diaso. I will recommend the clip-on lens set for mobile phones at 350baht to be a better deal and it is more convenient. :-p This will be handy when you forget to bring those with you. I googled a little after experimenting and found this = http://smartphones.wonderhowto.com/how-to/5-simple-ways-add-macro-lens-your-smartphone-0139123/ and this = https://open.abc.net.au/explore/10227 Therefore, if Macro is all you need, pop down to Daiso for the loupe at 60baht. It looks like this = http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6a/Magnifying_glass_20101113.jpg/220px-Magnifying_glass_20101113.jpg FAILED for telephoto because while the image can be magnified, the camera cannot focus... until some manufacturer come up with a mechanical / algorithm to focus with just 1 lens...
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