Halloween Flashback

One great thing about Thailand is that Thais will use any occasion to justify a reason to have a party (I once attended a new haircut party), and over the years, they have adopted most of the major Western holidays in one form or another.

During Christmas, stores are teaming with lights and decorations, Santa comes to visit, and the loud speakers blast Christmas Carols. For Thanksgiving, every self-respecting Hotel has a special turkey buffet with all the trimmings, and Western and Chinese New Years are both full blown affairs along with the traditional Thai New Year in April.

Halloween, though less well-known, is slowly growing in popularity, especially among the younger generations - thanks, in part, to the annual Halloween party my roommate and I held between 2000 and 2002.

This picture is from 2003. I was a German Sex Tourist, Carl was Duangchalerm, the son of a high ranking politician who shot a policeman, spent a week in jail and is now a successful politician himself. On the right, Ron was either a caveman or a watermelon with gingivitis- he wore those teeth every year.

Looks like 2000. Carl was a grandmother/ street vendor who made papaya salad. His wife, Nok, dressed as Sudarat, a famous politician, who's known for being extremely proper.

Me in 2000 as a low-ranking government official. Notice the pot belly, dark glasses, and polyester leisure suit with government seal on breast pocket.

Each year there was a costume contest. Here are the 2001 winners holding their prizes. Ron with his teeth again.

This was not at my apartment, but on the streets of Bangkok. My buddy Gabe, who was passing through Thailand during his round the world trip, is on the left. Not sure who the superheros are. Actually, I'm not even sure if this was Halloween.

Year 2000 - My co-workers, Harold and Greg (Harold was actually my roommate at the time), and their girlfriends.

To conclude this Halloween Friday Flashback, here I am in 2002. I dressed as Bao Boon Jin, a character from a famous Chinese television drama. He was a notable judge in ancient China, whose omnipresent wisdom was drawn from the crescent moon birthmark on his forehead.

Counting Sheep

A Kiwi's worst nightmare.

This horror movie from New Zealand was showing on my pirated Chinese cable when I came home last night.

If the video doesn't make it completely clear, the movie is about genetically mutated sheep that roam the countryside in search of human flesh to feast upon.

I'm not sure who does their programming, but this movie was followed by Godfather Part II.

So Long, Mr. Two Bits

Not related to Thailand, but I read where Mr. Two-Bits will retire after this season. This came as a surprise because I thought he was dead already.

Mr. Two Bits once bumped into me while running down the down the stadium steps after a cheer. I didn't shower for a week.

On a more serious note - The Promise.

Actually, for a guy that's given his life to God, he may be taking this football game thing a little too seriously. That being said - you know what happens to people who break their promises...

Friday Flashback - Room With A View

I used to keep an MSN webpage filled with pics from my day's in Bangkok just after the turn of the century. Today, I received an email from this site saying that it would be shutdown, but I could move all my pictures to another photo website called Multiply.

Instead of reading the directions on how to start up this new site, I decided to simply download the good pictures and start a weekly blog called Friday Flashback - as much to keep a record of what went one before I came to Korat, as to fill up some blog pages with something other than what I had for lunch.

So, without further ado, here's the first one - My Bangkok apartment with the million dollar view.

The interior of the apartment was a bit dated with parquet floors, low ceiling, and corduroy wallpaper, but it had the balcony of all balconies. It stretched the length of the master bedroom and living room and was 6 ft deep - enough to hold a grill and the dining room table. My friends and I spent many a night on this balcony, usually having a few drinks before going out for the evening, and more often than not, never making it out at all.

The balcony overlooked the Queen Sirikit Convention Center and the adjoining park with the largest body of water in Bangkok next to the Chao Phraya River. The convention center is at the end with the orange roof. My office was the tall building in the center of the picture. It took me 5 minutes to get there by motorcycle - almost unheard of in Bangkok.

It was a huge apartment - nearly 2,000 sq ft, and at the time, I remember thinking to myself that it may be the nicest apartment I will ever live in. So far, so true, which is hard to believe considering, I make almost 3 times as much as I did back then. Then again, it was my first time living in a big city, I never thought twice about saving money, and instant gratification was life's only worthy objective.

All in all, those days are probably better off gone, and that's the main reason I decided to move Korat, but I have to admit, I do miss the view.

Fight For Your Right

For more than 150 days the People's Alliance for Democracy or PAD has occupied Government House, which is the Prime Minister's Office and comparable to the White House's West Wing. I won't go into why they're doing it - let's just say they're not happy with the current government.

The interesting part for me is the way they've gone about it. Apparently, the atmosphere of this revolutionary protest, which although peaceful is very aggressive, can be compared to a temple festival or carnival, attended by families, office workers, retirees, and students out for the day.

I haven't been there myself and neither has Nuch, although we're both curious about what is going on inside. Fortunately, I came across this video from another Thailand Blog, http://www.4amexpat.com/. I'm not sure how he got inside, as the PAD are fairly supicious of foreigners and people not wearing yellow, but he takes us on a video tour while riding his bike through the protest fairgrounds. Enjoy.

Don't Shoot The Rabbits

While out for dinner this past week, I saw this small, red sign spray-painted on the wall next to where I parked my car. I took notice of it because I was concerned it was a "No Parking" sign.

When I got close, I saw that it was not a "No Parking" sign, but, in fact, a "No Shooting Rabbits" sign.

And, why, you may ask, would floppy-eared, furry rodents be protected in Korat? Because "shooting rabbits" is slang for public urination. In other words - Don't pee on this wall.

Now, I know that indecent exposure laws are much more lax (non-existent) in Thailand than they are in the States, but is it such a problem that a sign like this had to be put up in downtown Korat?

The sidewalk does look a bit damp, but I think it had just rained.

It reminded me of my old friend, Supot, from Chaiyaphum (Peace Corps days). We were having dinner at an outdoor restaurant and he had run off somewhere. When he got back, I asked where he had been. "Hunting rabbits", he replied with a smile.

Being new to Thailand, this had to be explained to me. Once I got the gist of this new and useful slang, Supot looked me in the eyes and like a father teaching his son, he said, "Joe, there are many, many rabbits in Thailand". He paused and turned to gaze at the moonlit rice patties. Then, reaching out, he swept his hand across the dark horizon, and in a dry ominous voice, he told me, "These rabbits of Thailand, they are everywhere" (including the streets of Korat City, apparently).

Listening in on our conversation, our friend, Pi Sam, pointed and said, "I think I see one", then, hustled off into the darkness.

In case you're wondering, women don't shoot rabbits. They pick flowers.

Auntie Somjai

After this blog, I think I will have covered all my regular lunch hangouts.

Auntie Somjai's restaurant, called Somjai's, is in an institution in the Hua Talay district of Korat. It's a Thai curry shop that has been around for 40 years. She talks about the days when lunch cost 5 cents and American soldiers, who were based in Korat during the Vietnam War, would come into her shop daring each other to eat the spicy dishes.

Here's Auntie Somjai with Nuch. She's 75 years old and spends all day in her shop. Although she has a team of people to take care of things, she enjoys mingling with customers, exchanging gossip, and giving updates on her most recent temple tours and the donations she has made.

Whenever Nuch joins me there, Auntie Somjai always has a gift for her. Today, she had an ivory ring that she bought at a temple in Surin. She said that if it fits, it's destiny and Nuch must accept it. Guess what - it fit. Just a sweet lady. Usually, I eat there alone and Somjai will always sit next down with me to find out how business is going, but I think she really wants to know where Nuch is and when she will visit again.

Here's a look at the menu. Actually, there is no menu - just go up to the counter and point at what you want. Great for those who are just learning Thai, as well as those who have been here for 10 years and too lazy to learn the name of certain dishes. Somjai's offers about 15 different items. I always get the same two - spicy chicken with basil and tofu with vegetables. I guess after five years I should be a bit more adventurous.


Today, Nuch and I also had dessert. Whatever I said about Thai desserts not being sweet - I take it back. Gluay Buad Chee is as rich as I can take. My teeth are still aching.

Side Note:

Gluay Buad Chee, which is bananas soaked in coconut milk and sweetened condensed milk, means "Banana that is becoming a nun", but when pronounced with the wrong tones comes out as "Banana that needs to pee" - so be careful.

Off To The Races

I came across some pictures from the annual Buffalo Races that were held in Chonburi this past week. They look suprisingly fast, and in some of the pictures you can see where all four feet are off the ground at once.

Golden Boy's Lucky Day

My old roommate, Ron, from Bangkok days was back in Thailand this past weekend for his wedding. He's currently living in DC and had met a Thai girl there who is from Korat. So, after their US wedding, they came back for the Thai ceremony with her family.

Here are the newlyweds moments after sealing the deal. I could empathize with the Golden shirt, as I had one for my wedding. Gold pants are something else, but Ron pulled it off. That being said, Aom stole the show.

Here's a picture of the parents. Aom's dad had a million dollar smile.

Ron with Aom and her two sisters.

Gifts for the family.

Here's lunch - the orange stuff in the top right is a dessert called Tong Yot Foi Tong. Tong means gold, so this is supposed to bring wealth and good luck. There's also some Kanom Chan, which is a multi-layered dessert. The multiple levels are supposed to symbolize growing up or moving up in the world and are also good luck.

Here's the actual ceremony.




With a video. The head monk was a bit overzealous with the lucky water. Ron got drenched.






Here is the lucky string tradition.

When guests tie the string they give the new couple their blessing with hopes that they are wealthy, healthy and happy (and start having babies immediately).



If lucky desserts, water, and string were not enough, the couple also gets some lucky spots on their forehead.

Losing The Forest

This is the sign in front of my friend Stewart's new drug store, Happy Drugs.

The other day I asked him if he knew what it meant. Being the smart guy that he is and being that it's his sign and his shop, which happens to be a drug store, he guessed that it meant "drug store", which is correct - although I explained to him that it translates directly as "sell drugs".

I'm always giving him a hard time about his Thai language skills, as he's been here for almost 4 years and has put very little effort into developing them - to his own detriment. I've always felt that speaking and reading Thai gives you a special insight into Thai life and a more fulfilling Thailand experience.

At the same time, getting too comfortable in your environment can cause you to lose perspective(i.e. you can't see the forest through the trees), and, quite often the "forest" is the best part of living in a foreign country.

From my own experience and from observing expats over the years, when living in a foreign country for an extended period of time, it's very easy to "lose the forest". Upon first arriving, there's a desperate struggle to put your "new" world in order, to understand the quirks of the local culture, and to assimilate with society. In other words, what usually takes us 20 years to do as children and young adults, we try to do in 2 years (or 2 months) as expats.

Needless to say, the rush to comprehend this new environment is usually completed through brash assumptions, generalizations, and rationalizations, which leaves an enormous gap between what you see your new home to be and what it really is. The danger is that once this belief system is solidified, you become blind to new perspectives and even worse - cold realities.

I guess that is what happened to me because while I looked at the sign and clearly saw five letters that spelled out "drug store", Stewart saw "drug store" described by 2 Pac-Man guys in the middle with their mouths wide open waiting for some pills.

I'm not sure who's more right, but it made me miss my first months in Thailand many years ago, when everything was new, and I was just a babe in the woods, surrounded by nothing but forest.

State Tower Wedding

Here's a quick photo blog from the wedding of one of Nuch's colleagues. It was held at the State Tower in downtown Bangkok.

Usually, hotel receptions are in stuffy, square conference halls. At the State Tower, it's more like a mansion with multiple rooms and floors. Here is the reception room with a three-piece band.

The 2nd floor is where guests mingle, munch on hors-d'oeuvres and watch the usual wedding reception activities - introductions, speeches, slide show, and bouquet tossing.

Two of Nuch's friends. They were both at our wedding.

Nuch in the reception room.

Instead of signing a guestbook, you could sign a wall poster or draw mustaches and devil horns.

The highlight of every wedding reception - the bouquet toss, although this looks more like a hand-off.

As nice as the State Tower wedding hall is, the restaurant/ bar on top of the State Tower (I think it's called Le Bua) is even more spectacular. Did we go? No, but here are some pictures anyway.

Ho 'Qi' Minh

On Wednesday, I returned from a two-day business trip to Vietnam. All and all a good time, and I think we've identified a quality, regional leather supplier. At the same time, I was a little disappointed because I was looking for some interesting blog-filler - opposed to a dry recount of last night's dinner.

Granted, I wasn't on vacation, so I didn't expect to see the beach or other notable sites, but I, at least, hoped to see something that would capture the essence of Ho Chi Minh city (still called Saigon by locals). Instead, I found myself let down, once again, by the "romance" of international business travel - airport, dinner, hotel, factory, dinner, hotel, airport.

The hotel was nice, though...

and I did see a building that looked important and historical...

but this was the view from my window...

Incredibly nondescript.

There is one thing, however, that did leave an impression on me. I can only describe it as the 'Qi' of Saigon. Qi being the flow of energy within all living things or, the essence of life. Here's the Wikipedia definition.

If you view Saigon as a living entity, then the lives of people moving through it are its Qi, and Saigon's Qi is best captured and explained by the way traffic moves through its crowded streets.

This was taken from a rooftop restaurant.



This was taken on the way to the airport. Amazingly, I saw no accidents nor any close calls. Although there was a lot of honking (warnings to get your Qi in line), there really was a flow - no one moves to fast or too slow. Stop, and lose your Qi licence.

This reminded me of a friend of mine in Shanghai (another Qi-filled city) who never checked for traffic before crossing the road - which, until you get used to it, is terrifying to witness. When I asked him why he didn't look both ways, he replied that if he sees the oncoming cars or bicycles, then it's up to him to avoid them. However, by not looking, it's the responsibility of oncoming cars to avoid him - which works great, as long as everyone is part of the same Qi.