BANGKOK FLOOD, a tragedy but inevitable

Okay, I haven't written anything about the flood ever here in Thailand yet and  decided to do it right now. It was a Friday night when it rained the whole evening here in Bangkok and  my place got flooded by Saturday morning. Nonetheless, I was  happy the owner of my apartment was nice enough to get me a cab to work and later, wow! I was surprised to catch sight of the massive water from my street to the main highway. At some point, I got worried that the water would come in the taxi. I was five minutes late when I reached ECC. I made it for over an hour to get there from the usual twenty to thirty minutes. I payed out 200 baht meter finding the best road to take, that made the expense doubled from my normal ride.

My street was dry by the evening I went home and I had no problem the following day. After  a couple of days, there! we had the news all over the city on flood and was advised to stock food as flood waters are coming to Bangkok. I had no idea at first how huge the damage was in Ayuthaya and I was completely surprised to see the intense of the effect of water coming from the north. I didn't worry anything at all until I saw lots of empty shelves in groceries specially  water which is  very essential for me. In a second I thought panic buying was on.

It has been over a month and thankfully, THERE'S NO FLOOD yet in where I live. I stay in Lat Phrao, Wangthonglang though we've been alerted to get ready, I'm thankful that the water hasn't come this close yet, for now I heard it's heading Bang Khae area. It is inevitable as no matter what, the water will find its way to the sea and Bangkok lies barely above sea level therefore it isn't a surprise the city will get the water from the upper lands.. Flooding is normal I think in Bangkok, how deeper will the water be this time and how long will it stay are still unknown and that make the status quo  aberrant. I'm pretty sure the government is doing the very best to minimize damages which are escalating  for now and yes, we all pray for this to end anytime soon and thus recovery be  isn't that a total struggle. 

 Find below the various images so you can have the idea of my location  and the situation.

The reds are the flood barriers protecting  inner Bangkok

My location via google satellite

Lat Phrao, Wangthonglang

My location and the canals, in case the water will overflow .

Map of Flood  up North heading Inner Bangkok 

Bangkok in circle, the blue colors represent the water still on its way to the sea.
Photo courtesy of Jesper  Hansson, a friend on Facebook

Bangkok Airport Flood level as of today. Photo Courtesy of Guy Lakeman

Click here for more : Thailand Flood Monitoring  

Satellite image of flooded areas around Bangkok as of today
Source: www.gistda.or.th

Click here for more photos : Flood Gallery

For travelers on the latest update on  flooding situation including maps  stating which areas to stay and  get rid of  please visit  www.thaitravelblogs.com 

Here's the link  http://www.thaitravelblogs.com/2011/10/map-of-flood-risk-areas-in-bangkok/

or

Maps of Flood Risks Areas in Bangkok

ALL SOULS DAY

REPOST from www.ucatholic.com

All Souls Day follows All Saints Day, and commemorates the faithful departed, those who die in God’s faith and friendship. However, Catholics believe that not all those who die in God’s grace are immediately ready for the Beatific vision, i.e. the reality and goodness of God and heaven, so they must be purified of “lesser faults,” and the temporal effects of sin. The Catholic Church calls this purification of the elect, “purgatory.”

The Catholic teaching on Purgatory essentially requires belief in two realities:

1. that there will be a purification of believers prior to entering heaven and

2. that the prayers and masses of the faithful in some way benefit those in the state of purification.

As to the duration, place, and exact nature of this purification, the Church has no official dogma, although Saint Augustine and others used fire as a way to explain the nature of the purification. Many faithful Catholics, including Pope Benedict XVI, grant that Purgatory may be an existential state as opposed to a temporal place. In other words, Purgatory may be something we experience instantaneously, because it is outside of the confines of created time and space. The official dogma of Purgatory is hardly offensive, even if the popular understanding of it has led to confusion. As a more everyday explanation, many liken Purgatory to a place to “clean up” oneself before going into the presence of Almighty God.

All Souls is the day to remember, pray for, and offer requiem masses up for these faithful departed in the state of purification. Typically Christians will take this day to offer prayers up on behalf of their departed relatives and friends. Others may remember influential individuals that they never knew personally, such as presidents, musicians, etc. This may be done in the form of the Office of the Dead (Defunctorum officium), i.e. a prayer service offered in memory of departed loved ones. Often this office is prayed on the anniversary (or eve) of the death of a loved one, or on All Souls’ Day.

Christians have been praying for their departed brothers and sisters since the earliest days of Christianity. Early liturgies and inscriptions on catacomb walls attest to the ancientness of prayers for the dead, even if the Church needed more time to develop a substantial theology behind the practice. Praying for the dead is actually borrowed from Judaism, as indicated in 2 Maccabees 12:41-42.

In the New Testament, St Paul prays for mercy for his departed friend Onesiphorus (2 Timothy 1:18). Early Christian writers Tertullian and St. Cyprian testify to the regular practice of praying for the souls of the departed. Tertullian justified the practice based on custom and Tradition, and not on explicit scriptural teaching. This demonstrates that Christians believed that their prayers could somehow have a positive effect on the souls of departed believers. Closely connected to the ancient practice of praying for the dead is the belief in an explicit state called purgatory. The New Testament hints at a purification of believers after death. For example, Saint Paul speaks of being saved, “but only as through fire” (1 Corinthians 3:15). Over time, many Church Fathers, including St. Augustine, e.g. in Enchiridion of Faith, Hope, and Love and City of God, further developed the concept of a purgation of sins through fire after death.

In the early days, departed Christians’ names were placed on diptychs. In the sixth century, Benedictine communities held commemorations for the departed on the feast of Pentecost. All Souls’ Day became a universal festival largely on account of the influence of Odilo of Cluny in AD 998, when he commanded its annual celebration in the Benedictine houses of his congregation. This soon spread to the Carthusian congregations as well. The day was celebrated on various days, including October 15th in 12th century Milan. Today all Western Catholics celebrate All Souls’ Day on November 2

http://www.ucatholic.com/saints/all-souls-day-2/

Happy ALL SAINTS DAY!

Photo Courtesy of 100% Katolikong Pinoy FB Page    

I surely miss the times how we, Filipinos celebrate November the first and second in the country. We go to the cemetery to light candles for the souls, pray and just spend time in there. We don't get to the place often but at least in a year we visit the graves to pray for the dead. At home, we cooked different kinds of Philippine delicacies and offered them to our respective altars along with flowers. The larger part of the food is spent of course for us to eat and share to our neighbors. It usually looks good having more dishes on the table adding those that are shared. It has been over six years, apart from Birthdays, Christmases and New Years, this season is just one of those I yearn being home with my family.

The Feast of the  ALL SAINTS is a day to remember the glories of  heaven and those who are there. We believe those souls who had lived well in life here on earth  aligned to faith and good deeds are in the heaven with the Lord. While the feast of ALL SOULS day reminds us of  our obligations to live lives on the holy path and that there will be cleansing  of the souls of those destined to heaven. Some may be wondering why Catholics have these days as official holidays in the calendar, for info attached below is the video from Gloria TV explaining the events based on Biblical Scriptures.