Strawberry Cheesecake*

What do you get when a train carrying the Mickey Mouse Club collides with a train carrying the Pussycat Dolls?

The Thai teenybopper variety show - Strawberry Cheesecake*.

For a quick sample, watch the first 30 seconds of this video. If you have lots of time to waste, the Cheesecakes (all Baker's Dozen of 'em) after a short skit about bad breath, eventually, interview a Thai kid, whose 15 minutes of fame (maybe it's 15 seconds) is twirling pens and other objects with his fingers.

The concept behind Strawberry Cheesecake is thirteen not-so-legal Thai Teens in mini-skirts and high heels interviewing boy bands and other people of varying levels of fame. They also go out and do girly things like get makeovers, learn to be runway models, make music videos, take cooking classes, etc...

The last time I saw the show, the Cheesecakes paid their debt to society by doing charity work at a home for orphaned, autistic children - mostly babies, 1 to 3 years old. During their visit, they toured the facilities and then, played games with the kids. When I say with, I mean they actually used the autistic kids to play the game.

Here's how the game worked:

Six teams (two girls each) take care of a room of 5 - 6 autistic children and compete to see how long it is before one of the autistic children cries. The team that can keep the autistic kids from crying the longest, through the use of toys, hugs, funny faces, candy bribes, and begging in baby-talk, is the winner.

Cute show, cute kids, and I'm sure all intentions were in the right place, but it seems to me 'Peek-a-Boo' probably would have been a better choice of games. To give the Cheesecakes some credit, at the end of the show, they did acknowledge that they had a new appreciation for what it takes to take care of autistic kids.

*Disclaimer: I know way too much about Strawberry Cheesecake, but it comes on Sunday mornings after a cooking show that Nuch's mother likes to watch, and quite often, I'm there (innocently) eating my breakfast. The conversation is always the same. Nuch's mother will say, 'Disgusting. They look like prostitutes! What has happened to Thai society?' Nuch will look at me and say, 'You like it don't you? What if your daughter dressed and acted like that?' This verbal barrage goes on for an hour, and then, when the show is over, we all get on with our Sunday afternoon.

Fore!!!

From the window of our return flight from Phuket, the Don Muang Airport looks like any other airport. Runway, terminals, towers - all surrounded by a grassy field spotted with trees, small ponds and...

sand traps.

Kantarat Golf Course, otherwise known as "Senam Ngoo" or The Snake Course, is tucked between the two runways of Bangkok's domestic airport.

You can see the golf carts below. When going from the club house to the first tee, be sure to stop and look both ways for Jumbo Jets landing or taking off.


Here's the view from Google Earth. Better get that hook or slice straightened out before playing here or risk bringing down a 747.

'A' is for Evil

Nuch came home with this book the other day on how to eat properly, according to your blood type.

The basic concept is that the four blood types originated from our ancestors at different stages of evolution and each utilizes the proteins of particular foods in different ways. Group O was the first blood type and originated while man was mostly hunter gatherers. Therefore, Group O people tend to derive the most benefit from meats, nuts and berries. Blood Type A originated after man learned to cultivate crops, so plants and vegetables are most beneficial to them. Groups B and AB have their own characteristics - mostly a mixture of Groups O and A.

The book, then, goes on to say that it's critical to be aware of what you eat, depending on our blood type, as some foods can act as medicines, while others can be as detrimental as poisons.

True or not, who knows? It's an interesting idea, but it would seem that there are far too many other variables to have a simple 'blood type - food type' correlation, but it's intriguing nonetheless.

Around the same time, Nuch also brought home a book in Thai based on the same idea. I was skimming through it (more to practice my Thai than to get more info), when I came across a section on a 'blood type - personality type' correlation, which suggests that personality, behaviour, or character is affected or influenced, and even pre-determined by your blood type.

For me, this was taking it a bit too far and in the process de-legitimizing (if it was ever legitimate) the initial 'blood type - food type' theory.

It went on to describe Group O as aggressive hunter gatherer-types and Group A as passive, farmer-types. Group B tends to be more adventurous, while people with Group AB are more spiritual. The book, then, provided a list of famous people in each group that tend to personify the characteristics/ personalities of people in that particular blood group.

I'm blood type A, so perhaps I'm just biased or overly-sensitive, but doesn't it seem like the people representing Group A (save Alan Alda, the dog-stuffer) possess an unfair and disproportionate level of Evil compared to the other groups?

You be the judge.

Group O

Queen Elizabeth II

Ronald Reagan
John Lennon

Elvis Presley

Paul Newman

Mikhail Gorbachev

Group B

Jackie Chan

Jack Nicholson

Paul McCartney

Tom Selleck

Leonardo DiCaprio

Group AB

John F. Kennedy

Marilyn Monroe

Thomas Edison

Bob Sapp (ex-NFL player that's famous in Japan)

And finally, the infamous Group A

Adolph Hitler

George W. Bush

O.J. Simpson

Britney Spears

Richard Nixon

Alan Alda

and Me

Sweetness

I had a little surprise waiting for me when I got back to work this week.



Not sure if the picture is clear enough, but a large community of sugar-ants commandeered my keyboard while I was on vacation.

My secretary says it's because I'm so sweet, which I believe is code for don't eat donuts at your desk.

Payment on Delivery

In my honeymooners blog I posted a picture of Nuch next to a bunch of wooden elephants that had been offered as compensation for wishes that had been granted.

In Thai it's called "gaa bon". It's like making a wish, but when you make the wish, you promise to donate something, if the wish comes true. "Gaa Bon" is usually associated with Hindu gods and goddesses, so if your wish comes true, you would donate something to one of their shrines or temples. The most famous one is the Erawan Temple at the Hyatt Erawan Hotel in downtown Bangkok.

The best part of "gaa bon" is that you don't have to do anything up front, and if your wish does not come true, you don't need to do anything at all - so, what do you have to lose?

That's exactly what I thought on Sunday morning September 17, 2000 while listening to the final minutes of the Florida - Tennessee game on Internet radio.

Tennessee had just gone ahead with a little under 2 minutes remaining. To win the game, the Gators needed to go 91 yards for a touchdown. Having been dominated most of the game by a tough Tennessee defense, the Gator's chances of winning were next to nothing.

Fortunately for the Gators, I had recently learned about "gaa bon" and thought I'd give it a shot. I negotiated with myself and finally decided a 15 USD elephant was worth a Gator victory, then closed my eyes and made my wish.

Lo and behold! with 14 seconds left in the game, Jabar Gaffney made an improbable catch to put the Gators ahead 26 - 23.

Some Tennessee fans still question whether it was a catch at all, but it's no use arguing as destiny was in the hands of the Erawan Shrine and a 15 dollar wooden elephant.

Here's a picture of me holding up my end of the bargain and donating an elephant at the pre-arranged price.

A funny side note to this story - I sent an email to some friends back home describing my "wish". Chris Curcio forwarded my story to Steve Spurrier and Jeremy Foley (UF Athletic Director). I can't find the email, but Jeremy Foley wrote back and said the Gators appreciate all kinds of support, but would not normally rely on black magic to win football games, thanks (or something like that).