Unhappy New Year... for some

Today at lunch Kru Jay-bomb asked me if I had gone anywhere during the new year holiday,

"I stayed at home."

He took a bite of his food, chewed a bit, swallowed, and then grunted. "Two hundred and eighty two people died during the new year celebrations," he said.

"Come again?"

So he said again, "Two hundred and eighty two people died during the new year celebrations. In Thailand alone... too many."

"Oh?" was all I knew to say.

"The foreigners got it right," he said, "They all went to the temples while the Thai people were out drinking."

"It should be switched?" I suggested.

"Huh?" and then before I could repeat myself, "Yeah, yeah. The Foreigners are okay, but Thais should be in the temples."

So I asked him, "What did you do for the holiday?"

"Went to the temple."

"At midnight? Before? After?"

"No, no. Before."

"What did you do at midnight?"

"I didn't stay up for the count down. It happens all the time. Nothing special."

Then the conversation died. We ate in silence for a little while, but then an old lady came up to me and shoved a paper in front of my face (for the second time today). It was the signature lady. She pointed at a name on her list, it was in English so she was assuming that it was me (for the second time today). And so for the second time I said, "No, that's not me." She pointed to another name, also in English. "No, that's not me either." She scowled at me and then started swearing under her breath. I gave her a questioning look and she just said, "I can't remember!" and then stormed off, along with her perpetual frown.

After I had finished my lunch, I walked with Kru Jay-bomb to his office. On the way I asked him,
"When you were a teenager did you ever stay up till midnight to celebrate a new year?"

"I never have."

"Yeah?"

"What's the point? It happens all the time. Days pass by us all the time. That's how nature is. But we decide that we have to count the days and the years. We celebrate the time passing, but all we get in the end is 282 people dead. The day before they had wonderful jobs and families, lots of money, and then what do they do? They go out and get drunk. Die. It's all over for them. Everyone needs to go back to the temples. That's what we need to do."

He said goodbye as we came to his office, and I continued on to the mini mart to buy an ice cream.