The ";"
click a letter to go
to the page with entries beginning with that letter.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X-Y-Z
|
The ";"
click a letter to go A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X-Y-Z |
Click
here for Search for: Please visit
|
"The Rounds" Friday, January 28, 2005
* * * * * * * * * * Headlines Nice New Photos of the Northeast Author Dean Barrett to Speak in Pattaya Reminder about Richard K. Diran Art Show at the FCCT Wrapperz Restaurant Sukhumvit Soi 22 Power Outage Hits Washington Square Area for a Few Hours Update on Tsunami Relief Efforts * * * * * * * * * * Nice New Photos of the Northeast An American friend who lives in the States, Thailand John, has a new photo collection he has put up called Issan Life. He has several collections there, including some shots of the tsunami-hit Phi Phi Island in the South -- if you've never seen it, here's a place to see a few shots of how it was. You will need to install the Active X plug-in Photodex Presenter (from the Photodex.com Corporation) if you don't already have it. I couldn't get it to install from Hohn's photo collection site, but have gone now over to the Photodex plug-in page and am downloading it -- it's a fairly hefty download at 3.25MB, according to the company's information about the product -- though I've now got it downloaded and it shows up at a bit under 2.5MB. By the way, in his e-mail to me, John said to turn on my sound, which I did, but I never heard anything, even after the picture was loaded. A note for dial-up modem users: the picture files are quite large, so each photograph takes awhile to load over such a connection -- mine today is a measly 46.2kbps. But if you have a high-speed connection, they shouldn't be any problem despite their large size. [Wednesday, January 26, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * Author Dean Barrett to Speak in Pattaya My good friend and excellent writer Dean Barrett will be making an appearance at the Pattaya City Expats Club. Below is the press release he e-mailed:
Novelist Dean Barrett
will give a talk on "Writing in Thailand" at Pattaya's oldest and largest Expat
meeting, the Pattaya City Expats Club, on Sunday the 30th of January at 10:30
a.m. The group meets every Sunday at Henry J. Bean's Restaurant at the north end
of Pattaya Beach Rd from 9:30 - 12:00 for an international breakfast buffet,
guest speakers, and helpful advice for expats. Everyone is welcome.
Admission is free. Dean will also be signing his previous books set in
Thailand. Dean is a very engaging and friendly person. If I can work it out, O hope to make it down to hear his presentation. And even people who've never even dreamed of writing anything themselves -- other than checks! -- often find themselves fascinated by professional writers. And they are an interesting lot. Dean certainly is no exception: playwright, author, Vietnam War veteran, Mandarin-language specialist for the Army Security Agency right here in Thailand during the war, and more. Drop by! Oh, by the way, I've never been the Pattaya City Expats Club, but I sure have heard a lots of nice things about the group. So that gives you another reason to drop around. [Wednesday, January 26, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * Reminder about Richard K. Diran Art Show at the FCCT Next Friday will see the opening of Richard K. Diran's exhibition of a number of his paintings at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand in the penthouse of the Maneeya Building next door to the Sogo Department Store. The exhibition is titled "A Week of Desire," and will open at 7:30 P.M. There will be an opening reception. Richard will be on hand. I've seen the paintings, are they are fascinating. If you can't come next Friday, no problem -- the paintings will be on display from next Friday through the end of the month. When Richard first started the series, he wasn't the slightest interested in showing the paintings to anyone other than his wife and friends. However, as he added paintings, early on I and others began urging him to make them available to a wider audience for viewing. He gradually warmed to the idea, and now is downright eager to get the show open. Richard has a we site named Diran Art, but looking at the paintings on the screen doesn't even begin to match seeing them yourself. I've done both, and while the online versions do give a taste of the paintings, that's all they give -- a mere taste. That opinion is pretty universally shared by those of us who've seen both. So, if you have any interest in the visual arts should thoroughly enjoy the exhibition. And hey -- the price is right: free! [Wednesday, January 26, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * Wrapperz Restaurant Sukhumvit Soi 22 There is a new fast-food restaurant on Sukhumvit Soi 22 just outside the Soi 22 entrance to Washington Square, 2 doors towards Sukhumvit Road on the right, facing Sukhumvit Road, nestled in behind Denny's Bar, the open-air beer bar on the corner of the entrance and the soi, named "Wrapperz." No, I didn't misspell the name; that's the way it appears on the sign. On the plus side, the place has a glass front and is brightly lit, giving it an open, airy, cheerful atmosphere. There are a 2 tables outside, each with 2 chairs, so you can eat on premises, though the business model clearly emphasizes takeaway food. The food is already prepared, so your order is filled immediately upon placing it. The service was cheerful and friendly. Those pluses said, I have to say I was greatly disappointed in the end with both the food and the service. The food wasn't has bad as a friend had told me it is -- he said it was the worst food he had ever eaten anywhere. But I did find it bland. The dishes consists of soft "tortillas" wrapped around the contents. The kindest things I can say about my "burrito" is that it didn't taste bad -- just not good -- and it sated my hunger. On the service side, as I said, the girl taking my order was quite friendly and cheerful, as the other employees seemed to be. But I ordered a 2nd item -- repeatedly. Quite by coincidence my unofficial Thai daughter was in the place, and she stepped up to tell the girl in Thai what I wanted. The girl just smiled brightly and thanked me. I gave up, and told Daughter to drop it (thanking her for her efforts, of course). My "burrito" costs a reasonable (in price terms, not in value-for-money terms, if that makes any sense) 60 baht. On a scale of 1 to 5 stars, I have to rate Wrapperz at 2 stars, at best -- and I rate it that high only because it's new and I have hopes it will improve as the management gets past the teething problems accompanying any new restaurant's opening. I don't know for a fact that the place is one-of-a-kind, but a fairly extensive Google search turned up nothing, so I'm assuming that's what it is, not a company outlet or franchise. [Friday, January 28, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * Power Outage Hits Washington Square Area for a Few Hours Yesterday afternoon saw the Square area and beyond affected by a power outage when a transformer on Sukhumvit Road blew up. I didn't see the transformer, but we could here it even inside the Lone Staar, where I was sitting went it went at about 2:00 P.M. Normally such problems are handled quickly, typically an hour or so, 2 hours at most. But yesterday the power was out a bit over 6 hours yesterday, coming back on at almost exactly 8:00 P.M. Now, this was hardly a major event (except for the owners of places that lost a lot of business, as quite a few did, especially the bars and restaurants), but it reminded us of the inexplicable nature of power grids in Bangkok. The Square contains a total of 7 separate buildings, 4 around the perimeter, 3 inside the Square itself. But only 2 were affected: the one running along the east side and front, where Lone Staar, Thai Danu Bank, etc. are; and the westernmost of the 3 buildings inside, where Happy Bar, Crystal Bar, etc. are. Outside the Square, the effects were spotty. A friend who lives in the 2nd sub-soi behind the Square told me the power was off awhile in the building where she lives -- she was home at the time -- but only for a little while. Another friend was in The Emporium when the transformer blew, and he came back and said parts -- but not all -- of that popular complex were affected, and that is odd, I mean, parts of a single structure??? My friend said the effects were enough that managers obviously made the decision to have an announcement broadcast over the complex's public address system apologizing for the inconvenience. Hm. A thought just struck me: I wonder is the multiplex cinema was affected? If so, I bet the management there is plenty peeved if the outage lasted very long. [Friday, January 28, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * Update on Tsunami Relief Efforts Local relief efforts for victims of last month's tsunami continue, as they do around the globe, apace with steps towards establishing an international early warning system around the Indian Ocean Rim. Here in the Square, while most of us sit by rather helpless, one Squaronian continues to go above and beyond, my friend who owns trucks. He recently has been coordinating with the local Red Cross, whom he convinced to spring the money to buy knock-down houses that can be erected in a matter of hours -- 9 can be thrown up in just 3 days. He is providing an 18-wheeler to transport them to a village off just about everybody's radar. In fact, he left out about 2:00 A.M. this morning, his wife in tow, to deliver 8 such houses, the maximum number his truck can carry. But even this well-intentioned effort of Nigel's and the Red Cross's part has run into resistance that reveals the pitfalls that can complicate disaster-relief planning. The houses he is delivering are essentially made of metal supports and corrugated tin, hardly traditional Thai housing. The victims want replacements for their homes made of wood. "Ungrateful wretches!" was the first thought that sprang to my mind, thinking about those poor devils sleeping outdoors in the grass or sand. But Nigel told me something else that reined me in. Each of the houses the Red Cross is providing costs 80,000 baht for the 1-floor model and 120,000 baht for the 2-floor model. The former provides 15 square meters of space, the latter 30. The wood and nails to build a traditional house cost about 30,000 baht, something the villagers emphasized. And the wooden houses are larger than either -- at that far cheaper price. The wooden houses cannot possibly be erected as quickly as the knock-down ones Nigel has been transporting. But we don't have to be concerned about climate; the affected areas are never cold, nor even ever that cool. Even at night. We're moving towards the hot season, and are already into the dry season, so rains are of no consequence. The villagers have a point. I imagine such scenes are being repeated even as I write all the way around the Indian Ocean in the 11 nations affected, particularly in the eastern half, where the devastation was far greater than it was further west. On a different front, another friend and his wife personally know some families from some nearby countries who would be deported were they to seek assistance from the Thai government, since any papers establishing the legality of their presence are gone and the government, in desperation, has been rather harsh with such people, deporting them right away if they aren't seriously injured or sick. My friend is helping them directly, including trying to help them get their papers sorted out. Helping can be a tightrope walk, sometimes. While you need to keep in mind I'm not a lawyer, I have been given to believe over the years that even out-and-out volunteers are required to have work permits. Let me quickly interject I haven't heard of a single instance of a volunteer having any trouble whatsoever over this issue, to the great credit of the authorities, if my understanding of the law is correct. But if I am correct, the authorities could, quite rightly, enforce the law and at least make the volunteers stop. I can't imagine that happening, thank goodness; anecdotal reports indicate all offers of such assistance have been gratefully accepted -- including by authorities in the area. But all the efforts are coming together as command-and-control gets established. People talk hopefully of needing no more than a year or two to finish the recovery work, but others (including me) think that's a pipe dream; many of us think this will take many years. And the psychological scars will never go away, no doubt. Become manageable, yes, but not go away. They're already becoming manageable, thanks to people's resilience in the face of even the greatest tragedy. [Friday, January 28, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * "Father Joe," as he is affectionately called even by people who don't know him personally, is a Catholic priest who has devoted the last 3 decades or so to charity work in the Khlong Toey slum -- about a kilometer from where I sit at this moment. And I've just finished a book Father Joe penned about his work, WELCOME TO THE BANGKOK SLAUGHTERHOUSE, about his work. And what a book it is. (I've kept the capital letters as used on the book's cover; clearly Father Joe or his editor wanted the shouting effect. The hyperlink takes you to the web page on the Asia Books web site where you can order the book online.) But let me talk a little about Khlong Toey before I talk about the book. Khlong Toey is a closed, dangerous neighborhood. At its northwest corner lies the Khlong Toey market, a market that spills across Asoke to the west side of the Asoke-Rama IV Road intersection. The market offers just about anything imaginable. While I'm no hero, neither am I a coward. Even so, I've never ventured into the slum-side market (the slum doesn't spill over) more than a few aisles from Rama IV Road. It would be plain foolish for me to do so. Old Thai Hands who know about the neighborhood often make the dark -- but accurate -- comment that if you as a Thai or foreigner have a problem around here, just go to the Khlong Toey Market (with a Thai to make introductions for you) to engage in the time-honored tradition of resolving conflicts in Thailand: hire a gunman. That's the environment Father Joe operates in. His body armor is his collar and his reputation. Even the gunman hear and -- within limits, limits Father Joe understands -- obey. When we talk about Father Joe, we're not speaking about some tourist puke who comes here on a 3-week holiday and does a "documentary" or "exposé." We're talking a man who has lived on the front line of an urban war zone for decades. And survived. And done one helluva lot of good during the meanwhile. That's why he is justly famous. Do I know Father Joe? Do I have a vested interest in his work? No, and no. I met Father Joe for all of about 10 seconds quite by coincidence a couple years ago in the Bourbon Street Restaurant, whose proprietor, Doug Harrison, works closely and extensively for years with The Good Father. Doug happened to make some reference to Father Joe one night, a reference indicating Doug thought I knew Father Joe. I told him that while I was aware of Father Joe's work, I had never had the privilege of meeting him. A few nights later I happened in and saw Doug sitting at the back of the bar with some guy, and walked back just to say hello to Doug. Turns out his drinking companion was the legendary Father Joe. They were talking Father Joe's business over drinks, so after Doug made brief introductions, I moved on. The vested interest part of it? -- I was raised Anglican, not Catholic. That's the end of that story. Now to the book. Doggone Father Joe. I happened to spot his book when I stopped off at Villa Supermarket to pick up something on my way home late the other night. I was exhausted -- it was maybe 2:00 A.M. -- but I knew I had nothing to read at home, and I always like to read a few minutes before dozing off, so I bought his book, checked out, and went home. Ate my late-night snack, climbed into bed, set my alarm for 8:00 A.M. and cracked open his book. Two hours and a bit over a hundred pages later, I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer, so I blearily changed my alarm to 10:00 A.M. and promptly crashed to sleep. Since that night, I've talked to several other people who've read the book, and they've told me their feeling reading the book was the same as mine -- as if Father Joe were sitting across the table talking to me personally. On the level of literary criticism, he has that gift -- a judgment I am qualified by academic training to make. The book is filled with heart-rending stories of abused children, orphans (who often fit into the former category as well), drug addicts, and other general social outcasts and misfits. The stuff Father Joe and his staff deal with hour after hour, day after day -- well, you get the picture: decade after decade -- as routine would crush lesser spirits if we had to deal with it for even a day or two. I don't want to tell any of the stories here that Father Joe tells; he tells them far better, far more viscerally, than I can. I will say I wept most of my way through the book. That's why I said "Doggone Father Joe." That's how captivating and engaging his writing is. I don't know if he has a natural flair or if some editor fixed him up -- but the book moves the soul, moves the soul, I suspect, even for someone who can't find Thailand on the map. It is a story of humanity, not of location. Buy. Read. Weep. And, in the end, respect and admire. [Friday, January 28, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * Enough for one go . . . Until next time -- Mekhong Kurt * * * * * * * * * * E-mail Change Notification Sign-up Sign-up here for e-mail notification when I add or change something on the site. Just go to the sign-up page. * * * * * * * * * * Where Is *Your* Name??? So you've been a slacker and still haven't signed up for the free BangkokAtoZ.com Updates Mailing List??? ;-) Well, get with the program and sign up right now to be notified via e-mail whenever we add something to the site -- that way, you don't even have to visit the Updates Page to see if there's anything new -- we'll let you know by e-mail. If you want to sign up, just go to the sign-up page. I'm pleased to say that more and more of you are signing up, and I urge all of you not to hesitate! * * * * * * * * * * Where is *Your* "Traveler's Tale"???
Got a "Traveler's Tale"?
-- send me a line! Just send me a *query* note at * * * * * * * * * * Linking to BangkokAtoZ.com
If anyone reading this has a
website and would like to place a link there for
I'll appreciate an e-mail telling me the URL of where you placed it. If you want me to put a link on BangkokAtoZ.com for your site, do tell me where you have placed our link, and I'll give you a link in a comparable position, of the same nature (i.e., banner-for-banner, text-for-text).
* * * * * * * * * * |
|
Copyright © 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 by Kurt T. Francis, except as noted otherwise. Materials by Christopher G. Moore, Dean Barrett, Richard K. Diran, Sonia Pressman Fuentes, and Hardy Stockmann are copyrighted © by those respective authors. All rights reserved. Please see the Copyright Notice for further information. Click here for our Privacy Statement Please direct all inquiries to mekhongkurt at bangkokatoz.com |
