“Power-Crazy Thaksin” – Man City, Didn’t We Tell You So?

As if we wouldn’t know it: Money makes the world go round. Or so thought the great puppet master Thaksin Shinawatra, owner of honorable Manchester City Football Club. After having behaved like the owner of the Kingdom of Thailand but being kicked out, he at least could afford to be the owner of a faraway football club.

But how quickly sweet can turn sour and dreams crash down. There’s all poison between Thaksin and his star coach Sven-Göran Eriksson. The quiet Swede, known for his tranquility, even had a bust-up with Thaksin.

No surprise for us in Thailand. If Thaksin could drive us here crazy, he can easily drive Eriksson up the pole. But even more worrisome: “Shinawatra has become power-crazy at City,” wrote The Sun.

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April 29, 2008 | Filed Under Politics, Sports & Fun | 23 Comments 

T.B.G.I. – Thai Bar Girl Investigations

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Admit it. Some people can’t even trust their own shadow. How you want to trust a beautiful slender girl you met in a Bangkok bar who is promising you eternal faithfulness and love. Maybe there’s a catch.

In Thailand, country of deep distrusts, there’s an own industry of people making a living from untrustworthy people. Take T.B.G.I. – Thailand Bar Girl Investigations. Detectives wo catch cheating Thai bar girls and save you money.

T.B.G.I.’s intro reads like this: So you met an amazing, sweet Thai girl … Nice. She worked in a go-go bar, beer bar, or massage parlor … Hmmm? And she promised to stop working and love only you while you are back home if you will just help her with a little money each month? Stop right there!!!

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April 28, 2008 | Filed Under Being Farang, Nightlife & Entertainment, The Interview, The Thai Mind, Travel & Tourism | 7 Comments 

Vote Now! Thailand’s Top 100 Blogs

The basic commandment of a blogger is: Thou shall be happy when you’ve even got one single reader. Well, absolutely went to quite some readership since its birth in September ‘07. But thanks to fellow blogger Matt over at The Lost Boy the time for self-delusion is definitively over. Matt created the Top 100 Thailand Blogs. Quite a crowd-puller, chapeau Matt!

As we’re probably the youngest blog in this list, we’re not too unhappy with the ranking. Ranking systems anyway are a dealing with the devil. Look at the current Alexa controversies. But Matt seems to have put quite some thought into the system based on Google’s Page Rank and Technorati Rank. Alexa shall be incorporated later on.

Top 100 Thailand Blogs offers you a wide array of known and lesser known authors, analysts, researchers, musers and lovers of and on Thailand. You’ll discover stuff you’ve never dreamed of. But this is where you’re coming in. Because me wonders why blogs with an Alexa ranking of over ten million and a dozen hits a day are ranked alongside absolutely … Yes yes, truer rankings may show over time. Fact is: Not a long time after launch we can boast several hundred readers a day.

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April 28, 2008 | Filed Under On Our Own | 4 Comments 

Cocktails For A Good Cause

Every month Bangkok’s beautiful and successful meet at Bangkok’s Plaza Athénée for “Cocktails & Cones” – a by now legendary smart-casual afterwork gathering for a good cause: A substantial part of the 450 baht entrance ticket goes to the Lotus Flower Foundation – a foundation helping severely abused and trafficked children in Thailand.

I recently enjoyed my first eve @ Cocktails & Cones – and let me tell you: It’s not just the 4 free cocktails you get with the ticket – this time Singapore Sling, a truely smashing Caipirinha and others I’ve never heard of mixed by the Plaza’s very own, terrifyingly talented bartenders. The served tapas as well are of utmost quality and finesse – but it’s mainly the company you’ll enjoy there.

Some people attending may have complained that the same time a total of five uncancelable other events were going on. But everybody seemed more than happy to have joined this other issue of Cocktails & Cones by making merit while sipping cocktails and nibbling on snacks. Drink and do good deeds. Where else you get such a deal.

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April 27, 2008 | Filed Under Being Farang, Food & Drink, Nightlife & Entertainment, Society | 1 Comment 

The Scoop: Thailand’s Newest Premium Beer “Federbräu”

I’m quite excited as a beer lover. Doesn’t happen every day that a new premium beer is launched in Thailand. That’s exactly what is going to happen: Under the brand “Federbräu” Thai Beverage, owner of Chang beer, is launching a beer it’s labeling as premium all around. Heineken watch out. Federbräu will be the only beer distributed in Thailand which strictly adheres to Germany’s legendary Reinheitsgebot.

As you know, we have a thing for beer. You can argue about the design of the Federbräu logo, but the investors are aiming high: They’re going for “high status, desired lifestyle, responsible adventurism, traditional luxury and active enjoyment.” All in a bottle of beer.

How it tastes? Got two cans, a large and a small bottle standing here. Federbräu tastes … How about a smooth, balanced blend of bitterness and sweetness? You’ll soon find out yourself.

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April 25, 2008 | Filed Under Food & Drink, Nightlife & Entertainment | 15 Comments 

Bam Janista, Banharn’s Golden Girl

Meet Janista “Bam” Liewchalermwong, the favorite girl of no lesser than Chart Thai party leader Banharn Silpa-Archa. Bam was a fixture front and center with Banharn in past election campaigns, glowing like a gem in her perfect makeup in the midst of the regular lumps of coal.

She’s always been easy on the eyes, The Nation wrote. Something you can’t exactly say about Banharn. Who wouldn’t understand Banharn’s eagerness to consider that exceptional, still single woman with the coy ponytail and sterling smile a most important asset.

absolutely met the former model and TV star on the fly. We asked her about core Thai issues – enjoy Khun Bam’s evasive charms.

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April 25, 2008 | Filed Under Politics, The Interview | Leave a Comment 

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