Archive for October, 2009
In Thailand It’s Real, Halloween
It’s one of those nights I try to avoid. Halloween. Why celebrate death and the macabre when the non-Halloween world got enough of death and the macabre already. What a nerd. Because the supernatural, ghosts, ghost hunters and such are very Thai and therefore real. That’s what we’re told by this TV report Destination Truth:
Read more…
No Fuss Pizza & Pasta Lunch @ 150 Baht
That’s right, to this day some things that seem to good to be true still exist. I’m talking about the No Fuss Pizza & Pasta Lunch over at Witch’s Tavern, Thonglor. A whole pizza with a salad prepared by Italian pizzaiolo Francesco. Or a plate of pasta with salad prepared by Italian chef Francesco. For
Read more…
Thitinan, Chaturon & Alii: Thais Question Thais
What a delicious barrage of outstanding quotes. In case you missed the recent panel at the FCCT on Chaturon Chaisang‘s new book “Thai Democracy in Crisis: 27 Truths,” there’s a solid write-up over at Bangkok Pundit. And here is mine: It doesn’t happen too often around here that such bright and sadly lonely light of
Read more…
Trust & Integrity: How Thai Politics Punish A Nation
Rumors, denials, accusations, shadow plays, a third hand in action and the blaming of others … there’s never a dull moment in Thai politics. The consequence being that investors have long lost confidence. Thailand’s financial markets are by no means attractive these days. Here’s why, from a financier’s perspective: In economic transactions and stock markets,
Read more…
Thai Literature Made Easy
So you’re in Thailand maybe since years and you’re not able to speak a single coherent Thai sentence. Told me an Aussie friend here recently whose local business spiraled downwards that in a meeting with his Thai in-laws the long unsaid was finally said to him: “You don’t speak Thai, that’s why!” There’s a hidden
Read more…
Abhisit – Hun Sen 0:0
Headaches at Hua Hin’s Asean gathering. A Thaksin rift mars the Asean solidarity. The host, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, cancels a press conference mid-summit and no bilateral meeting with Cambodia. Well, ignoring the simple fact that he had been installed by a de facto judicial coup – a root of Thailand’s current problems –
Read more…
Asean Buzz
Asean buzz & first broken glass that is to say. The day before the opening of the 15th Asean Summit in Hua Hin the delegation from Laos suffered a mid-severe accident on the infamously coned Petchkasem main road aka “Asean Lane.” Didn’t see any blood traces, hope the driver and passengers are fine. See the
Read more…
Abhisit In Wonderland
Hua Hin’s about to be hermetically sealed off from the real world out there. The seaside resort has been cleaned up and adorned for days and starting Tuesday, October 20th, strict checks on vehicles passing through areas around the summit venues will begin. Got no Asean Summit Car Sticker? Don’t even dare to enter town.
Read more…
Corporate 3G Disobedience & True Hypocrisy
What a welcome sight arriving in Hua Hin. Huge AIS billboards praising AIS Super 3G with whopping speeds of 7.2 Mbps. Welcome to the future in laid-back Hua Hin. But that future is still the past. Make no mistake. That’s not the 3G on the 2100 MHz band. It’s AIS’ very own virtual super highway
Read more…
Asian Correspondent & Bloggers’ Coming-Of-Age
Not too long ago to blog by nature was part of an underground, anti-establishment network of supposedly amateurish spin doctors and wannabe opinion makers who weren’t really read. Some made a few bucks along the way, some could garner a respectable readership, others were in for a single minute of fame, a few got established
Read more…