Death in Thailand

They say that "the worst person you ever want to pick a fight with is the person who has nothing to lose" and that is usually the poor, the homeless or those who have given up on life.

Through history, economics and education are major determinants upon the value of life. Growing up in the states, we understand and value the life of an individual. We learn about that through the upbringings of our loved ones, the teachers in our schools, the pastors in our churches and through the integrity of our friends. We find a purpose to go on, to make our lives better and hopefully make the lives of those around us better.

In 2004, I moved to Pattaya, Thailand and began hanging out with a group of four guys and their wives or girlfriends: Harry and Phi, Lorenzo and Ann, Steve and Ann and Earl. We worked out in the mornings at Cherin Gym and afterwards, we would go to either Thumb's Up Cafe on Soi 6 or at Top's Cafe at Second Road and Central for brunch. It was a time to catch up on the latest and the greatest. Read the current Pattaya News, Today and Mail and laugh about all the stupid things that the foreigners were doing to get arrested each week and be amazed of the graphic pictures of victims of grisly crimes or accidents that would occasionally take place in Pattaya. Usually it would be a picture of the body, some part covered in blood but it would be there for the world to see.

On April 21st, 2006, we saw Steve. I received an email from an old friend Lorenzo (zo), whom I have not talk to in a long time and when that happens, one occasionally gets a split second chill indicating possibly that it may be bad news. Well, that day, it was. Zo sent an email telling me that Steve was dead, shot to death. He sent along the Thai article in the Pattaya newspaper showing the picture of Steve's body alongside his motorbike. On this particular day, we were not laughing, nor amazed but sadden by a valued life taken aways so quickly at such a young age. This was too close to home. I could not understand the article as it was written in Thai but Zo stated that the article indicated that it was a "hit," no other news at this time.

On April 20th, Steve had gone to the gym for his daily morning workout. He left and got onto his motorbike. While traveling down the road, two men on a motorbike rode up alongside him and shot him through the head with a 357. He was killed instantly. An investigation ensued. I would not have expected anything to have been resolved, just only the unfortunate unresolved passing of a dear friend.


A few days later, news from Zo, one of the shooters was captured in southern Thailand. The police interrogated the man for hours. That was followed by a ten hour interrogation of Steve's girlfriend of five months (Jintana in photo). The truth came out. Steve had used his girlfriends bank account to store his funds. There was a large sum of money and when he wanted it returned, the girlfriend refused and did not want to give it back. So she hired two cigarette vendors from Walking Street to commit the "hit" on Steve. She paid them 50,000 baht ($1,250) and wanted to keep a million baht ($25,000) for herself. That was the price for a life.

I had only known Steve for a year. He had a beautiful girlfriend name Ann at that time (Unfortunately Ann and Steve separted last year). Together they made quite a couple. He was a body builder; She could've been a model. And they not only looked great together but they had fun together. As a guy would say, "He's a good guy." Steve was educated, friendly, an avid body builder and worked different areas to make a "go" of it in Thailand. Although he was a huge hulk of a man and a very handsome one, he never copped an attitude. He was unassuming, always inviting and was there for you when the shit really hit the fan. He always had a smile on his face and found a reason to laugh which was very contagious. And he had stories .. he was a funny man. I will miss Steve for his friendship, his kindness and his laughs.

And its sad to say that Steve is gone and for a price rather than living out the rest of his life accomplishing goals, blessing us with his presence and enjoying the times of his life. Steve, I'm sure, has accomplished and affected more people in his life than the two shooters and the girl put together. None of the three will ever know that. None of them will ever know the value of this one's mans life. And from this point on, none of them will ever know the potential value of their very own.

Godspeed, Steve Miller .. May You Rest in Peace

2007 Follow up: The girlfriend confessed and was arrested for murder. For some reason, the following month, the charges were decreased to manslaughter. And since then, the girl has been released from jail for insufficient evidence. Money talks. What a waste.

8/99: Washington DC

In 1999, a good friend of mine name Deb, who work for the EEOC, needed to travel to Washington DC for a week of training. She asked me if I wanted to come along. Free room at the Westin, a week of history and photography, shoot! .. and oh yeah, a week with Deb .. I couldn't pass that up! ;-) Due to her training, she was in class from eight to five everyday so we spent the early evenings and the weekends together visiting sites. Me? While Deb was in class, I must have visited several museums and memorials each and everyday yet by the end of the week, I still didn't see everything I wanted to see.

For those of you who know me, I am not much of a walker. Neil Davis is a walker. Deb is a walker. My eighty-two year old mother is a walker. I used to live on 48th Avenue in the city and I would drive to the beach. (Beach was a block away.) But I love Washington DC. There is so much to see, so much history. And so much to take pictures of and I love photography. This is a great city for walking and I enjoyed every minute of it.

We stayed at the Westin Hotel near Foggy Bottom and the George Washington University. I must say that not only were the rooms immaculate but that the two most outstanding features were the bed as it was covered in multi layers of those down filled comforters and the water pressure from the showers were just awesome.

Being somewhat of a history buff, upon learning of an exhibition on the history of the Massachusetts 54th, the first black Union regiment of the Civil War, I immediately high tailed it to the National Gallery of Art. During the Civil War, black Americans wanted to enlist and fight in support of the abolition of slavery. The caucasian soldier did not have the respect nor the confidence in the fighting abilities of the black soldier. Also, they were not confident that the black man would be able to fulfill the role and responsibilities that came along with being a Union soldier. The story of the 54th was depicted in the movie "Glory" starring Matthew Broderick and Densel Washington (winner of the Academy's Awards Best Supporting Actor for his role in this film). Col. Shaw, a young mid-20s, white, Bostonian from an abolistionist family, wanted those of African American descent to have pride and dignity so he volunteered his regiment to fight at every given opportunity. In 1863, Shaw volunteered his regiment to lead the charge against a Confederate stronghold guarding the mouth of the Charleston River. The 54th lost half of its complement including Col. Shaw but through the group's self sacrifice came the order to allow the black soldier to fight. And by the wars end, over 100,000 black soldiers fought in support of the Union cause and per Lincoln was accredited in helping the Union win the war against the Confederate States.

My next favorite stop was the Arlington National Cemetary. Just to give you a bit of trivia, prior to the Civil War, Arlington House atop the hill overlooking the cemetary was the home of Col. Robert E. Lee. The cemetary is located across the river from Washington DC in the state of Virginia. Lincoln offered the command of all Union forces to Robert E. Lee but the colonel decided his loyalty laid with his home state of Virginia, which was a Confederate state. Thereafter Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy, offered the command of the Confederate Forces to Lee thus becoming the Commanding General of the Confederate Army.

During the war, Lincoln asked the Union's top Quartermaster to locate a new and suitable site for a cemetary. The Quartermaster decided to place the new national cemetary on the grounds surrounding the home of Robert E. Lee in order that he will never again be able to occupy his home without seeing the tombstones of the thousands of Union soldiers killed by his men during the war. After the war, Robert E. Lee never did return to his home in Arlington.

While we are on the subject of Robert E. Lee, back in 1982, I was at the USCG's Class A Boatswain's Mate school in Yorktown, Virginia. (Virginia, Virginia, the home state of Robert E. Lee) One day an officer ordered me up to his office. For whatever reason I cannot remember but what I do remember up to this day was the first thing he said to me as he looked up from his desk "OH, you're one of those Lee's."

At Arlington, I visited the tombs of JFK, the Unknown Soldier (is anyone still in there?), Douglas MacArthur, Marc Mitcsher (Commanding Admiral of Task Force 58 and once Captain of the USS Hornet), and surprised to see the unassuming tombstone of the most decorated soldier of World War II, Audie Murphy. Audie, post war, became an actor and eventually played himself in his biographical movie, "To Hell and Back." Ultimately, he was killed in an airplane accident.

Growing up in Grace Cathedral of San Francisco, I learned to appreciate and love gothic architecture. Grace was originally built as a copy of Notre Dame in Paris but before the building was finished, the original architect had died. When the project resumed thirty years later, the new architect added a touch of English gothic. Today, Grace Cathedral still stands as the home of the Bishop and his diocese. Grace is still the third largest gothic cathedral in the country and the largest on the west side of the Mississippi. The National Cathedral also commands a presence where no one will ever enter but in reverance. It's flying buttresses, tall twin towers, straight lines, center spire reminds us that God gave us this life to create and enjoy such beauty. I love Grace Cathedral as well as the National Cathedral. I hope to one day visit Notre Dame de Paris.

Other notables were the Jewish Holocaust Museum (Unbelievable); The Smithsonian Institute (I could be in there for days); The National Geographic Society (How did we end up on the front cover?); The Iwo Jima Memorial (Boy, that thing is BIG); The Lincoln Memorial (Read the words to the Gettysburg Address); The Vietnam Memorial (Lots of names); The Korean War Memorial; The Washington Monument (Under renovation at that time); Jefferson Memorial (Very nice); The Supreme Court Building; The Library of Congress (Love Books); Shopping, drinking and eating in Georgetown; Visiting Alexandria. I'm sure that I missed a few.

I got to spend this trip with a couple of great friends. Deb, while she may be a bit neurotic at times, she's a kick. A real cutie and a nut case at the same time but in a amusing sort of way. You can't help but love her. For years we continued our friendship by downing green tea, sushi and sashimi at our favorite watering hole "Okaza Yu" on Taraval in San Francisco. I do miss those days. Also, I got to see my good friend Neil Davis. He had left SF and took a job on the East Coast and lived outside of Washington. He joined us for a few days on this trip. Soon thereafter, he ended up back in SF (And I thought we were finally rid of him! .. J/K. Neil is the best friend one can have and he's a REAL avid world traveler, an awesome biker - get out of the way Lance! Europe for a weekend concert .. and he collects the air miles and all!)

If anyone is a traveler or a historian, Washington DC is a must see. It's devotion to maintaining our nation's cultural integrity of who we are is represented in each of those buildings. This city will make you want to walk. I did and I loved it.

12/01: My First Trip to Asia

In December of 2001 after a few months of planning, I took off on my first trip to Asia, alone. Supposedly two of my friends were planning to come along but one was laid off and the other had problems with his business so they backed out. Prior to this trip I had never been away on a vacation for more than eight days at any one time and only once did I go away on my own and I didn't really have that great a time. So I told my friends that my three week vacation may be shortened. That I may be back in a week. I left SFO to Bangkok on EVA Air. This airline is the only one that offers a class called "Economy Deluxe," which has the larger seat size similar to business with economy class service for a few dollars more. This was truly helpful for the long haul from SFO to Taipei, an eleven hour ride. Aside from the two hour layover in Taipei, the trip was long, food was good, and uneventful. It didn't really matter too much. I was pretty excited.

I arrived in Bangkok on the King's Birthday and nothing, nothing was open. But I did find one bar open and it was filled with foreigners. I walked in and took the only seat available at the bar.. and waited. No one spoke to me nor did anyone served me. So I spoke up and asked for a beer. Lo and Behold, thus began the time of my life. I met people from europe and also from the states. They knew I was a newbie in Bangkok by the questions I was asking and was very open to share their experiences and ideals of what would make my vacation a great one. (No one initally spoke to me as they thought I was Thai and since it was the King's Birthday and every business were supposed to be closed, they assumed I was a Thai cop.) The bartender, who initially ignored me, also got into the conversation amazed that I spoke English so well. "I'm an American. I'm sure you speak Thai very well. (wink wink)" "But you do not look like American. You look 'japon' or 'Thai man.'" Up to this day, I would have to explain at least once a day how I could be an American.

I spent a week in Bangkok taking tours to the Grand Palace, Wat Po, Chinatown, Chao Praya River and stayed at the Riverside Marriott on the recommendation of my buddy Neil Davis and also at the Grand President Hotel on Soi 11 and Suhkumvit at the recommendations of my fellow co-workers. The Marriott was truly immaculate. Each morning I looked forward to catching the 7am boat across the river to begin my day on tours. At 7am in the morning, I thought the weather was perfect, approximately 65-68 degrees F but the guys on the boat were shivering! They had on their shirts, sweaters and coats. It was pretty funny. I guess it's all relative.

I took an hour flight on Thai Air south to the island of Phuket. There I took the local cab, paid my 400 baht, rode the forty minutes to the town of Patong and checked into the Hotel Summer Breeze. There, I found the best beaches I had ever been on up to that point. The white sandy beaches were warm with turquoise blue green water that you can walk out into for about a hundred yards. The water was so clear that you can see to the bottom for some ways. At night, the partying was on-going up and down Soi Bangla, the main party street full of clubs and bars. People were friendly and were just having a great time. I also took a couple of day trips, one was to Phi Phi Island (where they filmed the movie, "The Beach") and second to James Bond Island (where they filmed, "Man with the Golden Gun.")

After Phuket, I returned north to Bangkok and took the two hour taxi ride south east to the beach resort town of Pattaya where I stayed my last three days and met Trudi, a good friend I would only see once again thereafter.

At each turn and at each town, I met so many wonderful people that I was having the time of my life. Instead of returning early, I extended my trip right up to Christmas day, the night I always spend with my family. I found something that really made me happy and excited and that was traveling to new places, taking pictures and making friends. Thus began the beginning of the end to the Second Segment.

Steve Centani in Bangkok

During one of my early trips to Thailand in 2003, I was staying at the Grand President Hotel. One day I decided to take one of the hotel's organized tours to Thailand's old capital Ayuthayya. Onto the van stepped a familiar face but I couldn't get a read on him. As it turned out, he was Steve Centani, a FOX reporter. During the past year he had been stationed off and on in Afganistan covering the war against Al Queda and the Taliban. He was on his way home to Washington DC when enroute he decided to make a stop in Bangkok. Currently Steve is a reporter for FoxNews.

My Gal

My gal, whom I have not seen in over a year, just celebrated her 82nd birthday this past June. My father, unfortunately, passed away when I was eight. Thereafter, my mother and I bounced around different locations in Chinatown until we settled at a "haunted" apartment complex at 1005 Powell Street at the edge of Chinatown. They were studio apartments with communal baths and kitchens but throughout the whole time, mom never indicated to me that life was difficult. Just lost her husband and now finding herself living on welfare and food stamps while taking care of an eight year old hyper, pain in the ass kid. My reason not to have any. I look at the way I once was and I would've driven myself ... up the wall. But the apartment was a good starter place. My mother befriended another little old lady who introduced her to Cumberland Presbyterian Church and there, she found community and made friends. Mom was born in 1923 in a small village outside of Canton, China. She was the oldest of three children. She told me horrid stories of the days when the Communist overran her property and ate her dog. I guess that was the time to leave. So in 1947, with my oldest brother in the oven, she boarded a ship bound for San Francisco. My grandfather was already here, settled in Chinatown and had established a grocery store in the Western Addition. Since then, my mother had three boys and one girl. She had her hands full.

My mother raised just the first two boys and my sister until 1962 when a surprised new addition came into the family. By the time I grew up, my siblings had already graduated from high school and left the household. I grew up like an only child, which I didn't mind. I had mom. She used to grab my toes with hers and I'd always lose. She was pretty tough for a 4'10" little asian mamma. Since my dad had passed away when I was young. I can at times feel the sadness of my mother missing my father so I tried to be a good son and not to give her too much problems. I made a point at a very young age never to wear black (black signified gang interest at that time) and to try to stick to the rules, although I was hyper-active and out of control much of the time. Like I said, a pain in the ass. So mom did her best taking care of me, which was enough. I enjoyed the ox-tail stew, the chinese sauage sticky rice dish, the spaghetti with ketchup and even the mayonnaise sandwiches (I thought of that one on my own unless it was my sister's concoction). My one regret at the age of nine was when my mother asked me if it was all right for her to remarry and I said, "NO!" cause I wanted mom all to myself. I never did find out if she had any possible interest but I wished I never said no. It's important for each of us to find a companion to live out the rest of our days with or just be happy. And I always wished she had found another one. But she didn't seem to mind as long as she was close to the family. Mom was always a cutie. She currently lives with my second brother Vince up in Diamond Heights in San Francisco.

A Must See: Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia

When you travel to Asia, one of most amazing attractions that one should never miss is Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia. The temples, the carvings were magnificent. I remember climbing one of the towers and waiting for the sun to set in order to get the "orange" color against the temples. Unfortunately I didn't realize that once the sun got to that point, it was only going to be around for about five minutes so I had to rush to take my pictures. If you want to get a quick view of Angkor, watch the movie "Lara Croft's Tomb-Raider." The film was finished soon prior to my visit. There are a few things you do need to know. One of the easiest ways to visit the site is to fly Bangkok Air from Bangkok. It's an hour and half flight into Siem Reap. Once you get there, you will need two passport photos for your visa. In terms of currency, you should carry $1 bills. You can use it for anything from renting your daily driver/cab for about $25 per day to $1 for laundry service. You don't want to use Cambodian currency as .50 will be a stack of paper about a couple of inches thick. And shop at the "Old Market" despite what your driver tells you about the high end souvenair store he will take you to and receive "kickbacks" if you do spend the megabucks on items. Eat at the Australian owned "Red Piano" restaurant in town. And don't go alone. It's more fun to have someone to share the experience with. A Must See of Asia, don't miss it.

05/04: A Quick Stop in Hong Kong

In Mid May of '04, enroute to Thailand, I stopped in Hong Kong for a couple of weeks. An old friend, Bob, whom I had known since high school invited me to stay with him. He lives in a studio apartment on a high floor with a great view at the edge of Central in HK. This wasn't my first trip to see Bob nor to visit HK and I still enjoy it everytime. Bob's very generous and always takes great care of me whenever I'm in town. I love the food, the harbor views at night, riding the Star Ferry, drinking and listening to the bands at Lan Kwai Fong, the shopping along Nathan Road and visiting Macau although about a week at a time for me is about enough.

This is a pic of the best steakhouse in Macau. No, that's Bobby but Pinocchio has the best steak in the city even though we had a bit of a communication problem with the staff. The steak was a large piece so we asked if we could have the steak cut into two pieces and cook one medium and one medium rare. Well they use percentages for the extent of cooking per steak. So we stated 30% on one and 60% on the other. Well, we got back three pieces of steak (30%) and they were all cooked at 60%. Go figure and we speak the language!!

Like Washington DC, Hong Kong is another great "walking" city especially since it's not awfully big but if you didn't feel like walking, they have a great transportation setup in their subway systems, the ferrys, their double decker streetcars or just a taxi. The city is not to be compared to the cultural heritage of Washington DC but is a great city to visit in its own right. They have everything one can ask for, great shopping, great food, and great scenaries. I've always enjoyed the Hong Kong skyline from the Kowloon side. If you needed a place to stay, my recommendation would be the harbor view rooms at the Salisbury Hotel. This hotel is a renovated YMCA, located on the waterfront next to the famous Peninsula Hotel. You can get the same view at a fraction of the cost.

One of the most enjoyable areas with the great clubs, bands, food and beautiful people is right next to Central in an area call Lan Kwei Fong. Bob took me there for a few nights as we enjoyed just people watching and listening to the music, many of which were filipino bands. One area I would not recommend for tourist would be the old go go clubs in Wan Chai as they tend to overcharge their drinks significantly for company you probably didn't want in the first place.

05/04: High School Buddies

In early May of '04, I had a chance to meet with some of my old friends before I left for Asia. These were friends that I had spent my high school years with at Cornerstone Evangelical Baptist Church. It has been a long time since and everyone had gone their separate ways. Yet, when we got together, it was as if we didn't miss a beat. We laughed about old times and discussed serious issues. It was apparent that we had all grown up. Some were as liberal as others were conservative. I was always a bit of a moderate liberal myself.

Starting from the far left, working his way up the system, Wilbur Wu had become second in line for the position of Dean of Students, City College of San Francisco. Next to Wilbur back row are Wayne Leung and Jimmy Chin. They are the epitome of those described in the book, "The Millionaire Next Door," those who do not appear to be rich but know how to save and invest. Next to Wilbur front row is Michael Louie, the group's kid brother, always cheerful with something funny to say and to the right of him is Steven Tong, the conservative of the group. In the picture to the right back row are Dave Chu, one who always loved softball but was hindered by a bad back. Dave, once tested missiles at Pt. McGoo for the military. Recently he went back to school, graduated and is now working as a nurse. Martin Chin was the best overall athlete of the group. He was a great quarterback, center fielder and a smooth basketball player. Only hindered by his height, he became a computer networking expert. On the other side of me is Lionel Chew, graduated from a Theological Seminary. I last heard he was working as a pastor. Jimmy and Johnny Chan (twins) soon thereafter received the best gifts of all, their wives both gave births to baby girls. Congrats to the new fathers. I thank them all for spending my last days in the states with me. We had a great time catching up. When they say, there's no place like home .. it's friends and love ones that make that place .. home.

04/04: My Last Watch: Station 12 Truck 12

This was the end of the "Second Segment." This was my last watch as an H-3 Paramedic/Firefighter for the SFFD. After fourteen years in the dept and twenty years in the business, it was time to move on. When I was hired in April '90 by Chuck Saunders, MD, SF Dept. of Public Health, Paramedic Division, it was one of the proudest moments of my life. My Godfather had worked for the State Dept. of Public Health and I wanted to be part of the same. At the time, DPH had the reputation of being the best, most progressive and most aggressive medically trained pre-hospital care service in California. Patient care was "A" priority and I was proud to be a part of it. In '97, due to budget constraints, DPH merged with the SFFD. There were lots of ups and downs .. but aside from the emergency medical responses, the car fires from St.44, the nurses at UCSF and SFGH that I will miss, I will also miss the guys. Unfortunately I got to know only a small percentage of those at the dept. but I must say, I do have the highest admiration for them and especially those at Station 12, 17, 44, 38 and from time to time 3c, the station I was at for two years despite all the grief.

Why? "The Third Segment"

To begin this blog, let me explain the title "The Third Segment." Years ago, there was a very famous actor, who at the age of fifty-five decided to take his own life. He left a note to his family and loved ones not to be sad as he did not take his life because he was unhappy. On the contrary, he decided he lived a great life and that it was time for him to go. He was very much satisfied and wanted to leave while he was .. still happy. I am not saying I am planning to take my life. Let me proceed. A year ago, a good friend of mine name Bruce Williams, 52 , an avid jogger, swimmer, hiker, was jogging around Lake Merced when he suffered a heart attack and died. This past week, Thomas Herrion, 23 just began his career with the San Francisco 49er's died in the locker room after a game. Working in the field of Pre-Hospital Care for the last twenty years has shown me that we can go at any given moment, at any age, at any time. We are "living" on borrowed time. I gave myself approximately sixty plus good years. I have divided the legacy of my life into three parts. Part one was growing up, schooling, learning about life, friendship, family, love. Part two was obtaining that good job, the nice house with the white picket fence and now I am onto the "third segment," pursuing a dream and doing what makes me most happy as much of the time as possible. I was tired of just existing and living day to day a life of passive resistance. I am now forty-three years old and hope to develop a successful business in the next two years and live out my life seeing the world and spending time with good friends and family. Wish me luck ...

This blog will be a bit of a record beginning April '04 from the time I left the states to current time intertwined by moments of thought, past rememberances, and lessons that I have learned and hope to pass on to others. Hope you enjoy this.

Mom's Picture

Back in the eighties, I was going through my mother's old trunk (yes, with her permission thank you) and found this original picture. It was taken near Macau, China approximately 1930 when my mother (tallest, standing) was about eight years old. Starting from left, my grandmother(passed away); my Uncle Gilbert lives in San Rafael, CA; my Aunt lives in San Francisco; my mother lives with Vince in Diamond Heights, San Francisco; and my great grandmother (passed away) whom I have never met. Ever since finding it, I consider this framed picture a family treasure.

This post was a test run to allow me to understand how to add pictures to my blog. Also, thanks Yvonne (my sister) for helping me to understand this process. Moving on ..

What the Heck is a Blog? Let's Check This Out ..

It's 4:17am on Wednesday morning. I can't sleep so I'm sitting here checking my email. Lo and Behold I get an email from my sister. She's sharing her first Blog. Looks pretty nice. Perhaps I'll give it a try. Testing, testing, one, two, three.