INSTEAD OF A JOURNAL

This is a page for haphazard sentiments, views and other salmagundi that does not fit elsewhere.

Newest entries come first.

2003
June 20: Places I have lived
Here is a list of places I have lived in my life. Las Cruces (New Mexico), Los Angeles, Livorno (Italy), Trieste (Italy), Fort Benning (Georgia), Oakland, Texarkana (Texas) Camp Stanley (Texas), Maintz (Germany), Landstuhl (Germany),  Stuttgart (Germany), San Francisco (The Presidio), Paradise (California), Marysville (California), Auburn (California), Great Lakes (Illinois), Philadelphia, Runnemeade (N.J.), Key West (Florida), Moorhead (Minnesota), Storrs (Connecticut), Coventry (Connecticut), Willimantic (Connecticut), Phuket (Patong Beach, Thailand), Udorn Thani (Ampur Ban Dung, Thailand), Bangkok (Din Daeng, Ngam Wan Wan).

June 14: Other Expats
Just a short note today -- brought on by things that happened to me or memories. If you are a recently arrived expat hoping to make a life for yourself in Thailand be careful. You are probably already geared to be careful of Thais. That's fine. What you may not know is that you need to be even more careful of other expats. By far, the worst experiences of my well over 10 years in Thailand have been with farangs.

June 11: Start of School
The new school year started June 9th and runs until March; unusual by Western standards, but the norm here. Many students don't show up for the first week of classes so I was surprised when most of mine did. That gives me hope of having some good classes.

June 4: Striding and Moseying
As the Western portion of the Northern Hemisphere strides boldly toward the heart of summer, here in Thailand we are moseying nonchalantly in the general direction of the rainy season and the opening of school on June 9th. Barring rain, it is picnic and bbq season here year 'round, but it's nearly time for students and their teachers to get serious again. Classes, books, new friends, new teachers and assorted curiosities that come with the new learning season are not far off.

June 2: Airplanes
The giant silver birds with their human cargo take off and land from near my home. I always wonder about the folks on the planes and whether they are happy to be going to their destination or not. Buddha's path was the middle one, but there is much about Thailand that is extreme -- although we try, don't we, to keep it inside? If you are going home, I hope that makes you happy. If you among those vacationing in Thailand, I hope that you find the adventure, spirituality or love that you seek. If you live here, so do I do.

May 31: Storm a-brewin'
Not much shakin' now but it's the calm before the storm. Not only does school start June 9th but, being the first semester, we will have the "joy" of rap nong (combo "welcome" and "initiation" for freshman students). Noise, vast multitudes of "freshy," shrieking upperclassmen and ludicrous follies so abundant there is no room for them here. Apparently this will take place in an environment of construction of a new cafeteria which, even when complete, will make perambulation more difficult than ever -- and it was already demanding and exhausting.

May 29: Two Errands a Day -- Max!
On any given day here in Bangkok, affectionately known as the Big Durian (smells bad, tastes good) to many, you're doing well to get two errands done. What is a errand? Going to the bank, paying a couple of bills, going to the post office, food shopping, renewing the registration on your car, going to immigration and lots of other stuff. It is a major accomplishment to get three done and you'll find yourself wiped out. Four? Well, I don't know what that feels like. It's uncharted waters. The reasons for this: traffic and the slow pace of life.


May 26: Thai Food
I like Thai food OK but it isn't my favorite. Being a vegetarian, it is also a bit difficult to find stuff I can eat. Thais don't eat a lot of meat, but there is meat in just about everything.

My favorite Thai food is made by the housekeeper who works next door. She adapts some traditional Thai food to vegetarian style. Her veggie som tham and pad Thai are excellent.

May 25: Bread
As near as I can figure the best place to buy bread in Bangkok is the Villa Supermarket -- especially the one on Sukumvit Soi 30 something. Heck, they even have bagels. The bread is a bit pricey, but worth it. Also good (but far behind Villa) are the Carrefoure supermarkets. I'm not sure if I spelled that correctly and don't care. Heck, I already feel bad for going to a French owned outfit; but bread is, after all, the staff of life -- unless you're Thai in which case it is rice.

May 24: Wheels keep on rollin'
The air con on my pickup ran out of juice. Had to rejuice her. Ten bucks. Two new head lights -- 20 bucks. Labor--included in the cost of parts

May 20: But yes, wheels do occasionally break down
Yesterday my motorcycle (Suzuki Intruder 750cc) broke down. From the bit of smoke near the battery, it was clear a cable had burned. My wife and I pushed it to the nearest motorcycle shop. It wasn't far, but neither was it easy.

The mechanic took a look at it and confirmed my suspicions. He took out the battery (a difficult job on a chopper), repaired the cable and charged the battery. The task took him about 2 hours. The bill? A bit over four dollars.

May 18: Wheels of Freedom
With apologies to Feuerbach, quoted in the April 25 entry below, whoever cannot drive himself is a slave. Being able to drive a car or motorcycle is a license to freedom. Yes, in much of Thailand, taxis are readily available. I use them myself. But having your own wheels lets you go where you want to go, when you want to go. It opens up not just the highways, but the byways of Thailand. If you have a car or especially a pickup truck, you can transport people and things. Mobility adds enormously to one's quality of life. It isn't difficult to get a Thai driving license and, while cars, pickups and motorcycles are not cheap, they tend to hold their value more than in the West. Open your horizons and get yourself some wheels.

May 17: A Nation of Bilingual People
Well, not quite all Thais are bilingual, but a fair percentage are. One third of the population comes from Isaan -- the Northeast. Most people there speak both Thai and a dialect of Lao that is closer to the language of Laos than that of Thailand. Those that don't speak Lao, speak Khmer. There are also a number of other languages spoken in this poor, but wonderful part of Thailand.

There is substantial racism on the part of many in Central Thailand against Isaan people. Lots of Northeasterners have an inferiority complex. I actually knew an Isaan woman who lived in Bangkok that punished her daughter if she spoke the Lao dialect. Sad, but true.

May 10: Three Facts
Here are three facts about my wife and the village that she comes from:
1: There was no electricity in the village until she was 18 years old.
2: Her Grandmother has never worn shoes in her life.
3. Assorted snakes and insects are a regular part of their diet.

May 5: Forwards
I get a fair number of forwarded messages. By and large I encourage my friends to send me stuff.

If you enjoy forwarding things on to your friend, please do yourself a favor and check out the Urban Legends Website. Why? Because a lot of "true" stories that get circulated are not true. An example of this is the claim that rat urine on cans kills people. (Bernard Trink, a columnist for the Bangkok Post, recently helped spread this falsehood.) In addition, a lot of virus warning are bogus. The Budweiser frogs screensaver virus is an example. Finally, many quotations are incorrectly attributed to the wrong people.

Please verify facts before sending them on.

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