*miserychick is actually happy

Mark fixing our exhibits at Museum Siam.

Of course, right in the middle of the final weeks of wedding planning, Mark and I have to come to Bangkok to do some technical repair work for our museum. We have two evenings to finish everything, regardless of what that “everything” is.  Tomorrow, we need to go to the Department of Foreign Affairs to get some paperwork done.  And there’s an interview and photo shoot with a magazine.  All this before going back to the museum again. Then the next day, I have to go make-up and shoe shopping before we hop on a plane back to Chiang Mai.  Does this happen to anybody else? Because for us, when it rains, it pours. And to think that a month ago I was saying “nah, there’s nothing to stress about w/ my wedding”.

Mark’s been here for a full week, and everyday we wake up with a new list of things to do: check out the resort, decide on the location of the stage, pick out food menu for the dinner of the night before, sort out sound equipments, check out prices of various things, pick up all sorts of various knick-knacks-the stuff you never use on a regular basis- from different locations all over town, paperwork, phone calls, emails, phone calls, more phone calls. Many people have asked if we needed any help, and the answer is always no. It’s not that we couldn’t use the help, just that we can’t think of anything we could assign other people to do.

Our overseas guests are also arriving in Thailand very soon. I’ll be off-line for a while.

The PADs declared victory after Thai court said the government is, yes, corrupt to the core. They left the airports partying, leaving some debris for other people to clean up. I’m still not sure why it’s a victory, but whatever floats their boats.

After all is said and done, it’s still a pathetic situation, but one you can live with, shrug, and say “well at least the airport is opened again” and you go about your business because this kind of politics isn’t something one can actually be hopeful about. There’s no Obama here.

And yes, at least the damn airport is opened again.  Thai media declared yesterday to be a day of good news. It was, but they forgot the details.  That the airport is opened for certain flights, and that normal operating schedule… well, at least for now, we have no idea when it’ll be in place.  Maybe Friday, maybe next week.  Meanwhile, those who actually have to fly aren’t feeling any better in the midst of their victories and good news.

Refering to Serirat Prasutanond, acting president of the airport, the guy with the suckiest and perhaps almost thankless job by anyone right now:

He has told the Thai media that the airport could be fully open by Friday, but was cautious when I asked him if this was realistic. “It all depends on security. The security systems have to be approved,” he warned.

I love it. Thai people wanted so much for this conflict to be over before the King’s birthday, fearing that they’ll disappoint him. And despite all the unrest that has caused irrefutable damaged to the country this whole year, they still believe that everything is better now that we’ve been good just in time for the King’s birthday. Here’s the thing: after this Friday, there’s another year until Thai people have to be good again.

But yes, politics aside: it looks like all my friends will be able to fly to Thailand for my wedding. My future groom is now on a plane, taking an alternative (and expensive) flight to come directly to Chiang Mai.

Venus, Jupiter, and the Moon came together tonight and made a smiley face:

photo by Nann

The astronomical institute of Thailand called it the conjunction of Moon, Venus and Jupiter.  It was seen for just a few hours in the early evening.  Venus and Jupiter were only 2 degrees apart, and it so happened that the Moon was positioned just below them like a little smile.

The Venus/Jupiter conjunction happens when these objects have the same right ascension on the sky’s dome. It’s as if they cross the same line of longitude in the sky and – for a brief time – beam north and south of one another on the sky’s dome. A conjunction of the two brightest planets won’t happen again until March of 2012. During this particular Venus and Jupiter conjunction, these two brilliant worlds appear 2 degrees apart. That’s about the width of your finger at an arm length away.

Earthsky.org

update: the BBC has pictures from around the world

This is so eloquently stated:

Already, the criminal justice system of Thailand has been reduced to an utter joke, its agencies and personnel either unable or unwilling to intervene effectively to protect public property and people’s lives, or even prosecute wrongdoers. That the security forces can carry out coups on the whimsy of generals and engage in battles over trifles with those of neighbouring countries but not responsibly protect the Government House or international airport is sheer farce. That government agencies have been forced to negotiate and cut their losses rather than insist that the law be enforced is dangerous folly. And that the senior judiciary, which through a succession of highly politicised judgments has played a major part in contributing to the current mess has nothing useful to contribute when lives are at stake and the country is in greatest need of intelligent guidance is altogether shameful. 

Peaceful protest is not only a part of democratic process; it is integral to it. But the rallies and blockades in Bangkok of recent days, weeks and months have not been peaceful. Nor can they properly be called protests at all, as they are not merely demonstrations of a wish, but acts aimed at achieving goals at all costs. And the costs to Thailand have already been very high. They will get higher, and be felt in terms of the lives and liberties of all people in the country if they are not brought to an end. All people in Thailand have a right to oppose this ultra-conservative project for state dominance at their expense. 

The statement is part of the Asian Human Rights Commission calling for more global attention on the events happening in Bangkok.

And it’s just as well. Thai police attempted to disperse the protesters today only to be embarrassingly chased down the street by youths armed with sling shots (or so reported). Pathetic is not enough, but it’s the only word that comes to mind.

Yes, world, please do something, we certainly aren’t capable of cleaning up our own mess.

Collateral damages are reaching far and wide.  There are millions of unfortunate stories of people effected by this whole airport closure chaos, but some are worse than others and at least I can be thankful that I’m not:

1.  A Thai business man who was staying at the Oberoi Hotel in Mumbai, who had to evacuate during the attack, whose passport was-as of this morning-stuck in the hotel, whose flight is canceled and can’t fly back to Bangkok because no planes are coming into Thailand from India.  I hope that you are well, stranger.

2.  A bride in Chiang Mai whose wedding is tomorrow, whose groom is overseas and whose friends are mostly in Bangkok and had to cancel their trip.  I hope it works out for you somehow, sister.

3.  Owners of businesses who have to deal with millions of cancelations, exporters who can’t send their shipments (from fresh produce to electronic parts), and airport officials who have to deal with understandingly grumpy passengers and how to handle this whole mess.

4.  Those travelers who had to be bus from Bangkok to either Chiang Mai or Utapao airport, then look for a flight to go to neighboring countries in order to look for a flight home from there… what a nightmare.

No progress at the airport so far, despite the state of emergency or replacement of the chief of police.  It seems like all sides are waiting for someone to jump into the battle first.

BKK airport has been shut down for 4 days now, besides the hundreds of thousands of people stranded both inside and outside the country, uncountable number of businesses and various arrangements (hotels, package tours, conferences, what have you) have been hit pretty hard. There’s a report that the loss in the tourism sector in this past 4 days is almost as bad as the blow dealt by the Southeast Asia Tsunami in 2004.  The ministry of tourism just came on TV to announce their plans of sending stranded foreign tourists to various airports, Singapore, KL, Vientien, etc. while asking Thai citizens who went traveling and are stuck abroad to find their ways to these cities and perhaps catch a flight home via the empty vessels. 

The media’s got this footage of people sleeping on conveyor belts, using the luggage as pillows inside the airport, of travelers with their large backpack spread out on the ground, and a whole score board of flights being canceled.  The footage has been repeated over and over again although it’s only from the first night.  People inside are not held up by the protesters.  They are allowed to leave the building and go find accommodations in Bangkok, but some chooses to stay in case the airport becomes operational again.  A situation of this scale has never happened before, and the airport is not prepared to be an information center for all of these people either. 

The lame-duck government who’s in hiding in Chiang Mai, just in my hood, declared a state of emergency for the two areas surrounding the airports in Bangkok since last night and ordered the police to move in.  No reports so far of the activities.  As I typed this, Thai TV just reported that the PAD leaders are now believing that today will be its last day of holding out, though it remains to be seen if they will be dispersed by force, by exhaustion, or if the PM will step down under pressure.

Meanwhile, we’re still waiting to see if Mark will be able to arrive on Monday.  We fully expect his flight to be canceled, but unable to speculate when he could land.  A 3-4 days delayed wouldn’t be surprising.  On the other hand, I still have to go all over town with my parents to hand out wedding invitations in person to people I hardly know, although now we have more things to talk about than where I’ll live and what I do for a living.

As usual, Bangkok Pundit has a well-rounded political analysis from various sources.

Photo by Chumsak Kanoknan/Getty Images

1. Protesters effectively shut down Suvarnnabhumi airport (BKK): this is no easy feat and a bold move by the yellow-shirters. The airport is supposedly 4th largest hub in Asia, with hundreds of thousands of travelers, both for pleasure and business, going through everyday. Today it was closed. Huge, huge loss to all involved.

2. The head of the military gave a press conference to suggest a house dissolution and asked the PAD to leave the airport.  The military refuses the rumor there is planned coup (what, one failed coup not enough for you people?).

3. The protesters never did ask for dissolution of the parliament. They wanted resignation. Which is different, because a dissolution would lead to a new election while a resignation would call for an appointment of a new government. The People’s Alliance for Democracy, they don’t want an election.  

4. The government snubbed the suggestion of a house dissolution, refuses to resign.

5.  The PAD won’t leave the airport.  Tourists and business travelers alike are all stranded.  The whole damn country is stranded.

There’s no end in sight.  Call a snap election, the PPP (ruling party) will most likely win and the PAD will be back protesting again (now with more experience to boot).  If the PAD gets what it wants, i.e. an appointed government, the red-shirters, and the PPP could deploy the same tactic that got PAD to this point.

Somehow, most people think that it will be settled by the King’s Birthday (Dec 5), because we’re all supposed to behave like good girls and boys on his birthday.  Thank the lord they will still listen to their monarch, cuz they sure can’t figure heads or tails themselves.  

CNN started their explainer piece by saying “Thailand stands on the brink of chaos as anti-government protesters occupy Bangkok’s two main airports…”  Incorrect.  We’re not on the brink of chaos, we’re well in the middle of it.