Positive Vibrations

I hadn’t intended to write about Barack Obama again so soon after my last post, but his election victory is the overwhelming story of the week (not to mention the month, the year, and even the decade) … even here in the remote outpost of Bangkok. Since Obama’s election victory, every waking hour I find myself talking to someone in my shop, or receiving an e-mail, and the messages are similar: “We did it! … “I’m not ashamed to be an American this week” … “Can you believe it?” … “Isn’t this wonderful?” Yes, lots of very happy and very proud people, and not all of them are Americans. It’s safe to say that the International community is quite delighted that Obama won, feeling relieved that the horror of the Bush years are nearing an end. When one of my regular fruit vendors here in Bangkok (I eat so much fruit I don’t just have one vendor!) saw me walking down the sidewalk yesterday morning, he smiled and gave me a thumbs up: “Obama chana! (Obama won!),” he shouted. Positive vibrations, indeed.

Returning home on Wednesday night, I had a craving for pizza, so I dialed up a pizza delivery service only to find out that my phone line had been “suspended” for non payment. Which was ridiculous; I pay the bill every month and keep the receipts to prove it. The next morning I called the customer service line at True (my phone and Internet provider) and spoke to an English language service rep. The woman was very polite and helpful, and found out the problem straightaway: I had not paid my bill for June. Seeing as how it’s November already, I did not have a clear recollection of what I was doing in June, much less what had happened to the phone bill that month. Why, I wondered, if June wasn’t paid, did they not add that total to the following month’s bill? I checked my stack of old bills and found receipts for July, August, September, and October. But June was nowhere to be found. Weird. I went to the True service center in Fortune Town the following day and paid the June bill, still puzzled as to why they felt the need to suspend my line even though I had been paying my bill every other month.

I had an additional annoyance at my apartment last week: irregular to non-existent water pressure. I found this be particulary annoying in the morning when I wanted to take a shower before going to work. Some days the water would barely trickle, other days it was fine, and sometimes the hot water vanished. I ended up having the apartment’s “ace” repairman make not one, not two, but three service visits to my bathroom before the problem was fixed. And just yesterday I discovered a leak in pipe underneath the kitchen sink. Time to call up Mr. Fixit again.

02:44 AM PST Permalink |

Obama-rama Begins!

I love having green things in my apartment; preferably pretty plants as opposed to mildew and unsightly strains of fungus on my walls. But I most definitely do not possess a green thumb, so I end up having to go to a local plant nursery once or twice a year and stock up on new additions for my plant kingdom. But earlier this week, a strolling vendor passed my shop with a little wagon laden with small plants. I bought three and took them home that night, trying different places until I found the perfect spot for each one. Green is good!

Another thing that lifts my spirits --- and helps keep my beer belly at bay --- is playing basketball. Rain prevented me from hitting the court on Tuesday, but I snuck out early Wednesday morning for an hour session. Nothing like running around the court and sinking a bunch of shots to start the day off right. Good for the soul … and the waistline.

And then Wednesday got even better. I had just walked in the door from my workout, powered up the computer, hoping to catch some election results from the US presidential election, when the phone rang. It was Janet Brown calling me with good news: “He won!” Yes, Obama supporters all over the world are thrilled. I find it amazing that the election was settled so soon, and that there were no tales of voting machine malfunctions or voters mysteriously vanishing from registration lists. But 46 percent of Americans voted for McCain and Pailhead, so Obama still has a lot of work to do to unite his own country, much less getting the rest of the world to believe that the American government is not totally evil. I’m not naïve enough to believe that Obama’s election will solve all the country’s problems or suddenly make the US appear as good guys again. But this is a big win for Americans who still believe their government is capable of doing good things. So many of us were worn down and disgusted by the idiocy, incompetence, and failed policies of the Bush administration. At the very least Obama’s win provides a moral boost for many people around the world. We will soon have an intelligent and competent US president. Who would have thunk it?

My friend Ing was in the shop on Thursday night. While she was browsing the bookshelves, she mentioned that she had been interviewed this week about her new film, Citizen Juling, by the Asian edition of Time magazine. I asked her whether the writer of the article was Thai or a foreigner. “It’s an American guy named John Krich,” Ing replied. I asked her if it was the same John Krich who wrote the travel book Music in Every Room, one I had read earlier this year. Ing wasn’t positive, so I showed her the book, which we still had in stock. Indeed it was the same guy. I told Ing to tell John, who is now based in Bangkok, that I had also enjoyed reading another book he had written, El Beisbol, about the popularity of baseball in Latin American countries. It was published about 20 years ago and is now out of print now, but well worth reading if you are a baseball fan.

Meanwhile, on the Thai political front, things are still very unsettled. With the upcoming royal cremation ceremony of Princess Galyani, along with the King’s birthday in early December, it is unlikely that any nasty incidents will transpire amongst PAD and UDD protesters this coming month. But afterwards, all bets are off. Could this be the calm before the storm? Many Thai people I talk to are feeling very pessimistic and nervous about the current political situation. I was chatting with a man who owns a nearby drug store and all he could do was shake his head and tell me that he was very, very worried about what will happen.

07:55 PM PST Permalink |

Rainbow Hopes

I took this photo last week, during a rare reprieve from the frequent rainstorms that have been battering Bangkok recently. In my eyes, this rainbow symbolizes hope. And hope-fully it’s also a sign of a Barack Obama victory in the US presidential elections on Tuesday. This is a very important election, not only for Americans, but for people of many nationalities around the world. Whoever is chosen as new presdident of the US becomes the de facto “leader of the free world,” and his actions and policies invariably affect us all. So let this rainbow, and an Obama victory, represent a new beginning for this battered planet, bringing together people from a variety of backgrounds, cultures and beliefs, working together to solve the myriad problems that are threatening us. But despite all the horrible things happening around the world nowadays, I still believe that there is hope for a bright, healthy, and peaceful future.

My friend Jeff has been in Bangkok since Wednesday, but will be taking the train to Nong Khai on Monday and then crossing into Laos to spend a few days in Vientiane, and perhaps a few more in Vang Vieng or Luang Prabang. He’s never been there before and is looking forward to seeing a new country. But he can’t spend TOO many days in Laos; he is scheduled to fly with me to Myanmar next Tuesday. Once in Myanmar, we’ll be travelling around the country and seeing friends (he has been twice before) and visiting pagodas, monasteries, schools, teashops, restaurants, and any other places that will have us. We’ve already arranged to attend a birthday party in Nyaungshwe (Ma Pa Su’s birthday and mine are only a few days apart), a trip to see Eric Trutwein’s projects in Yenangyaung, outings with friends in Bagan, a boat trip to see Nurse Thwe Thwe Aye in Mingun, orphanage donations in Mandalay, and a full moon festival outing at Shwedagon in Yangon. I can’t wait for another amazing travel experience.

I received an e-mail from Stan from Sarasota (that’s in Florida for those who aren’t familiar with the Sunshine State) this week. He knew that I was heading back to Myanmar, so he attatched a photo of a guide he used in Nyaungshwe earlier this year, and asked me to take it to him. Since Stan’s guide is located only a block away from Ma Pa Su’s office, this will be a very convenient task to accomplish. And I’m always delighted to meet new friends of friends, so I’m looking forward to surprising this guy with Stan’s picture.

In preparation for my trip to Myanmar I’ve been putting in extra hours studying the language; playing tapes and CD-ROMs, and reading my dog-eared phrasebook and dictionary. But that all came to a temporary halt yesterday: I got a phone call from one of my friends in Cambodia. My mind had to make that instant conversion in an attempt to remember Khmer words and phrases. It wasn’t a smooth conversation --- there were lulls when I struggled to remember words or totally forgot how to say something --- but I managed to communicate a few things without totally losing the plot. My friends in Phnom Penh are looking forward to their popular annual water festival next week. But don’t confuse this one with the wild and wacky water festival that is held in Thailand (and Laos and Myanmar) in mid April. Cambodia’s late year festival is held during the full moon period of November (some years this may fall in late October), and features boat racing and other fun-filled water-based events. On the same date Thailand has its lovely, but noisy (no more firecrackers, please!) Loy Krathong festival. Not an official holiday here in the kingdom, but a night that will be celebrated by most Thais.

07:40 PM PST Permalink |

Red Light Serenade

I’ve used Bangkok’s semi-new Suvarnaphumi Airport about a dozen times already, but only as a passenger. On Wednesday I had my first experience of meeting someone up at the airport; my friend Jeff was flying in from San Francisco, via Singapore. Prior to heading over to Cobra Swamp (the old name of the area where the airport is located) I felt some anxiety; would I be able to find my friend in a potentially confusing maze of gates and exits, riddled with touts (one of my rules: avoid speaking to anyone who addresses you as “Boss”) and other people waiting to meet friends and family? Well, it wasn’t as horrific as I had feared, but the “Meeting Point” was congested, narrow, and difficult to negotiate easily. There is a point where exiting passengers can turn left or right, but most people tend to veer right, towards the signs that direct you to the public taxis, and that’s just where I found Jeff. But, because there was a railing between us, I had to double back and walk around another cluster of kiosks, and a bank of escalators, before I could actually walk up, give him a hug, and help him carry a bag.

It’s been a very rainy week here in the city. Maybe it’s short term memory loss on my part, but I can’t recall a wetter month during the twelve years I’ve been here. I walk home through a series of puddles and flooded streets nearly every evening, arriving home with soggy shoes and clothing --- even though I’ve used an umbrella. I’ve been wearing old sneakers most of the month, not wanting to risk letting my sole good pair become ruined. After the rains have finally stopped (they can’t last much longer than another week or two, can they?), I will probably just throw the continually damp old pair away.

Jeff and I took a taxi to dinner Thursday night, and traffic was predictably horrendous. Our taxi driver, though, was a very pleasant, chatty guy. With the most unique aspect was the inside of the taxi; dozens of amulets and Buddha images covering his dashboard, hanging from his rear view mirror, and decorating other corners of his vehicle. Really, it felt like we were in a mobile shrine! At one point, during an extended red light stop, the driver turned around and asked: “Music?” I thought he was asking if we minded him turning on the radio, but then he whipped out a klui, a traditional Thai flute, and began playing a lovely tune. Only in Thailand! After he finished playing, Jeff and I clapped our approval. The driver grinned and told us that playing this flute was his way of alleviating the stress of traffic jams. What a great idea. I wish I had gotten his name or phone number, just in case I want to be treated to some more vehicular concerts in the near future. Having this guy as our driver was a delight.

Halloween is once again upon us, and while you won’t see packs of kids trick or treating around the neighborhoods of Bangkok, the locals are very aware of the day: there are parties galore, employees at many bars and restaurants are in costume, and most shopping centers have a Halloween theme of some sort competing with the Christmas decorations already in place. Throw in the firecrackers that are being thrown by eager Loy Krathong celebrants (even though THAT festival is still two weeks away) and you can expect a very loud Friday night here in Bangkok.

02:22 AM PST Permalink |

Hand Holding and Hammering

There was a cute photo in the Bangkok Post last week of two Army officers, a Thai and a Cambodian, holding hands at a meeting being held on the border, near the disputed area around Preah Viharn. The concept of two opposing sides coming together to resolve their differences in a peaceful manner, juxtaposed with the hand holding bit was so very Asian. Back in American, such a same-sex gesture would be derided as “queer,” but thankfully here in Southeast Asia most people don’t harbor such idiotic notions. I’ve had men, women and children in almost every country I’ve visited (Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, China) hold my hand on occasion; it was their way of making me feel welcome, a way of saying “You are my friend, come with me.” But even open-minded westerners like me can feel a bit taken aback when a complete stranger grabs your hand. I remember walking into the Tower Records branch in the Mall Bangkapi about 12 years ago and introducing myself to one of the employees there. I had just been assigned to manage that store and wanted to get a feel for the place. So this guy, a freaky sort of dude in his early 20s, took me by the hand and walked me around the store, showing me where everything was located. Another time, in Cambodia, a motorbike driver I had hired not only held my hand, but kissed it after I had I paid him for driving me around all day. Again, there was nothing remotely “gay” about the act; he was simply being friendly and showing his appreciation for the tip. Let’s only hope that a simple thing such as the hand-holding by the Thai and Cambodian military officers can help to bring an end to the current tensions on the border.

Stop, hey, what’s that sound? No, it’s not a deranged dentist moving in next door, it’s the not-so-soothing sounds of construction work going on. And it had to happen on Saturday, the busiest day of our sales week at the bookshop. Hammering, drilling, and more hammering. Thin walls, loud sounds. An hour break for lunch and then the cacophony resumed again. Thankfully, the workers next door (they are remodeling the building for a new clothing outlet) took Sunday off, but the new week is here and they are back at it again.

Look out! No, it’s not a pack of deranged PAD protesters; it’s the crazed shopping mall decorators, who are maniacally decking the halls and malls of Bangkok already. Yes, even here in primarily Buddhist Thailand, we have to deal with the specter of Christmas celebrations and inane holiday tunes blaring from sound systems. Most of the local shopping centers, with seemingly nothing better to do, are putting up Christmas decorations this month. I was at Siam Paragon earlier this week and the “festive” décor is already in place. Over at the Emporium, here on Sukhumvit, the huge outdoor Christmas tree, with its glittering silver ornaments, is now in place in front of the building.

Most polls show Barack Obama with a healthy lead over John McCain as the US presidential campaign heads into the last week. But I’m still very nervous, fearing that McCain and his “Pailhead” running mate might pull off a “surprise” win. The biggest wild card in the whole equation, as I see it, is the unpredictable method that allows, or doesn’t allow, US citizens to vote (and don’t even get me started on the fact that US citizens living overseas cannot go to the nearest US embassy to vote. They can’t). Voting registration and ballot methods differ from state to state, and can even vary within the state itself. Here is an excerpt from an article by Michael Scherer in Time magazine this month that explains what can go wrong at the polling stations:
“We can go to the moon, split atoms to power submarines, squeeze profits from a 99 cent hamburger and watch football highlights on cell phones. But the most successful democracy in human history has yet to figure out how to conduct a proper election. As it stands, the American voting system is a worrisome mess, a labyrinth of local, state and federal laws spotted with bewildered volunteers, harried public officials, partisan distortions, misdesigned forms, malfunctioning machines and polling-place confusion. Each time, problems pop up on the margins; if the election is close, these problems matter a great deal. Republicans and Democrats predict record turnouts, perhaps 130 million people, including millions who have never voted before. The vast majority will cast their votes without a hitch. But some voters will find themselves at the mercy of registration rolls that have been poorly maintained or, in some cases, improperly handled. Others will endure long lines, too few voting machines and observers who challenge their identities. Long a prerogative of local government, the patchwork of election rules often defies logic.”
The article then goes on to detail the “Seven Things that could go wrong on election day. The conditions appear to be ripe for major snafus to occur next Tuesday. Here is a link to the full article:
http://www.truthout.org/102508A

08:43 PM PST Permalink |

Blinded by Photography

My vision has become a bit blurry this week: I spent several hours on Thursday night sorting through hundreds of photos, mostly of novice monks at Shwe Yan Pyay Kyaung in Nyaungshwe, Myanmar. I’ll be heading back to Myanmar next month and each time I return I come bearing photos that I took the previous trip. Last time, when I visited the monastery in Nyaungshwe, it turned into an unabashed photo fest: two solid days (the third day was light by comparison) of young monks begging me to talk their photo in a variety of poses and locations in, around, and adjacent to their lovely teakwood monastery. I took the time this week to sort the photos into individual piles, so that each monk has his own mini-album of images. I look forward to giving them the snapshots, but I almost dread another long round, or three, of photo taking.

I often get e-mails from Myanmar but yesterday I got a rare letter in the mail. It was a thank you note from Thwe Thwe Aye, the head nurse (actually the only nurse) at the Mingun Home for the Aged, just down the river from Mandalay. She was confirming that one of my friends had delivered some anti-hypertension medicine I had sent for her patients. Meds like that are difficult for her to obtain, so she must depend upon donations and gifts from foreign tourists to get what she needs. Receiving her thoughtful note (who could resist a card signed: “Your Lovely Nurse”) made my day. I wasn’t sure that I would visit Mingun again when I return to Mandalay next month, but now I’m going to make a definite point of visiting Thwe Thwe Aye. For more information on the Mingun Home for the Aged, click the link to “The Mandalay Projects” found under the Favorites on this page.

Also on the subject of Myanmar, I got an e-mail this week from Ma Pa Su in Nyaungshwe. She is a travel services provider who is hoping that tourist arrivals increase during the upcoming high season. But it’s been such a dreadful year for tourism in Myanmar that she and others involved in the country’s tourism industry are just praying that no more disasters befall their country and make the situation even worse. Despite the destruction caused by Cyclone Nargis in the delta region, the vast majority of the country was untouched by the storm and remains safe and easy to explore.

I also got an e-mail from Thant Zin, more commonly known as “Mr. Pancake.” He runs a language school in Mingun, just down the road from Thwe Thwe Aye’s nursing home. Mr. Pancake assured me that the children I am sponsoring there are still attending classes. He also has computers at his school and trains students on those as well. In the future he is hoping to get Internet service so that he can teach his students additional skills. As things stand now, he must take a boat across the river to Mandalay if he wants to go online.

08:19 PM PDT Permalink |

Go Rays, Go!

The word for the week is: Rays. That’s the Tampa Bay Rays, to be specific. This baseball team has become one of the most remarkable, and inprobable, success stories of the decade, going from the cellar to the penthouse almost overnight. In their first ten years of existence, the Rays (or Devil Rays, as they used to be known; a nickname that surely drove the local Christian community up the wall --- a shame they changed it!), the Rays finished dead last in their division nine times. They never came remotely close to even having a winning season; just an awful team run by an awful organization. But things started to change about two years ago: new ownership, a new manager, and an infusion of talented young players. It took a bit of time for these ingredients to gel, but this this year the Rays started off hot and stayed hot, defying the predictions by “experts” that they would wilt.

And to think they play in a park that is only about two hours down the highway from my old home in Orlando. A world series comes to Central Florida? Never thought that would happen in my lifetime. Hard to imagine what the atmosphere is going to be like in the I-4 corrider from Orlando to Tampa and St. Petersburg. If anything, it may cause the locals to stop thinking about football for a few more weeks. I hope the Rays --- devils or not --- can pull off an amazing series win.

While I’ll be cheering for the Rays, my enthusiasm doesn’t extend to my wallet. Yes, despite my fondness for the game of baseball, I’ve become very disenchanted with the current state of professional sports, particularly the outrageously high salaries that athletes now command. Compare the average salary of a baseball player (or even worse/higher, an NBA basketball player) to the average salary on an American worker; the discrepancy is huge. Of course, there has always been a big divide, but in recent years the gulf in salaries has only become bigger. I became so disgusted by this out-of-whack money thing that after attending the 1991 World Series (games 6 & 7 between the Braves and Twins in Minneapolis; two truly magical games), I went cold turkey and stopped paying to attend any more games -- the only exceptions being a handful of spring training exhibition games the following year. I was over it all: no more road trips to baseball games in Atlanta or points beyond (I went to games all over the country; from Fenway in Boston and Wrigley Field in Chicago, to now defunct places such as the Astrodome in Houston, Riverfront in Cincinnati, and Candlestick Park in San Francisco), and I stopped making trips to see the Orlando Magic play basketball at an arena only ten minutes from my house. It didn’t matter how “convenient” it was; I vowed that my money would no longer support such financial lunacy, even if I did still love the sport. Now that I live in Thailand, my separation from baseball has become even greater. When I first moved here, in 1996, there was virtually no coverage of baseball in the local papers. The only way I could keep track of stats and boxscores was by buying the internation edition of USA Today. But nowadays, with easy Internet access, I can check baseball and basketball results via online boxscores. But I don’t miss shelling out big bucks to see the games in person.

Back in the early 1990s, the average salary of an average player (as opposed to the the mega-contracts that the superstars get) was already over a million dollars per year. By 2007, the average salary for a major league baseball player was almost three million dollars ($2,824,751) per year! And these guys only “work” seven or eight months out of the year. Does anyone else see something wrong with this trend? But even with the current financial chaos rearing its ugly head, I’m not holding out much hope that spiraling salaries in pro sports will come back down to earth anytime soon.

04:45 AM PDT Permalink |

Up All Night

I didn’t get much sleep last night. The reason being: the new Michael Connelly novel is out and I stayed up late to read as much of it as I could before I gave in to sleep. I had heard that Connelly’s new book, The Brass Verdict, was being released this month, but nevertheless I was still surprised to see it on the shelves in a store in Bangkok already. I dropped by Kinokuniya after work on Saturday, ostensibly to look for a dictionary of English language idioms that a friend in Myanmar wanted. But of course I couldn’t walk into a bookshop without browsing the new releases, and I noticed that the new Jonathan Kellerman book, Bones (and yes, it’s part of the Alex Delaware series), was out. But the copy they had was a hardcover, priced around 900 baht, so I passed on it. Thinking that maybe the nearby Asia Books branch might have a cheaper paperback copy (quite often the Bangkok shops get those jumbo sized paperbacks from the UK at the same time as the hardcover US editions are published) I poked my head in there. And sure enough they did: copies of Bones were selling for 595 baht --- as was the new Michael Connelly book. I scooped up both of those jewels and sprinted to the cash register. For reading order, the Connelly book is priority. This one features not only the irrepressible Harry Bosch, but also Mickey Haller, the character featured in his The Lincoln Lawyer novel a few years back.

I also picked up a copy of the new Mojo music magazine while at Kinokuniya. Some of you might remember that I declined to buy the previous month’s issue because Queen, a band that I thoroughly detest, was on the cover. But this time I didn’t hesitate: the Joe Strummer and his Clash mates were on the cover, and the rest of the issue’s contents were of interest too. Plus, the free CD they included (this month a compilation of “protest” songs, including the likes of Bob Marley, Gil Scott-Heron, and Billy Bragg) looked good.

I finally got around to reading my first John Updike book this past week.Updike was one of those authors that people raved about but for one reason or another I never felt compelled to read one of his books. But when an old copy (and I mean old: this one was a paperback from 1968) of Rabbit, Run showed up in my bookshop recently, I decided to take a crack at it. After finishing the novel I must concur with the critics: Updike is an enormously talented writer. What I found most interesting, apart from Updike’s rich prose, is that a novel as “scandalous” as this was written and published back in 1960. Nothing terribly wicked by today’s standards --- some adultery, sexual scenes, religious doubt, a bit of profanity --- but I’m guessing that books like this created quite a stink amongst the conservative masses back in those days. The next entry on my “Why haven’t I read a book by this author before?” list: Phillip Roth.

05:28 AM PDT Permalink |

Korean Basketball Songs

Myriam Grest of Myanmar Travel Ltd. is a travelling woman, to say the least. Now based in Bangkok, but still operating her travel agency in Yangon, she is busy travelling around Asia, searching for more fascinating and out of the ordinary travel experiences for her clients. Recently she returned from her very first trip to North Korea. She reports that the country was “very beautiful” and well worth exploring. Meanwhile, the efficient crew at Myriam’s travel agency in Yangon have secured a “Visa on Arrival” for me. Along with a friend from the US, I’ll be taking another trip to Myanmar next month.

Fellow Things Asian blogger Janet Brown (“Asia by the Book”) has just moved back to Bangkok after a seven year absence. I finally got to meet her in person when she dropped by my bookshop on Saturday afteroon. Her visit also seemed to have brought good luck: Saturday turned out to be an insanely busy day, easily our best sales day in over two months. Janet’s first book, Tone Deaf in Thailand, will be published by Things Asian Press early next year. Welcome back to the Big Mango, Janet!

Most Thai public schools are taking a mid-semester break this month, as witnessed by the scads of youngsters seen scampering around local shopping centers and on public transportation. I witnessed more evidence of the “school is out” syndrome on Wednesday morning when I was taking one of my morning basketball sessions at an outdoor court in my neighborhood. Normally, there isn’t a sould around when I venture out in the morning. Most games take place in the late afternoon or early evening when people are out of work or school. But on this morning, as I was shooting baskets, a trio of boys, none of whom looked older than ten, gathered to watch my prowess. Actually, I WAS shooting better than normal that morning, but it’s safe to say I’d never dazzle any NBA scouts. I asked the kids of they wanted to play, and the two older ones took up the challenge. These two resembled a Thai version of Laurel and Hardy: one was stick thin and the other had more of a bowling ball physique. Neither one looked as if he had ever shot a basketball before, but they tried hard and when they actually made a basket (the skinny kid was by far the better shot) it was cool to see the look of joy on their faces. I would shout encouragement in Thai, saying things like “very good” or “you’re very talented” whenever they made a shot. And when I would make a three-pointer, or something similarly impressive, they would hoot their approval. Good fun, and a good way to get my morning off to a good start.

The albums blasting (but not deafeningly) from my stereo this month, helping to keep me sane:
Neil Diamond - Home Before Dark
The Hold Steady – Stay Positive
Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American (Deluxe Edition)
Teddy Pendergrass – Teddy Pendergrass
Elton John - Tumbleweed Connection
Radiohead - The Best of
Josh Ritter - Golden Age of Radio
Sharon Jones - Naturally
James Brown - 50th Anniversary Collection
Robert Palmer - Secrets
Tommy Bolin – Private Eyes
Chicago – Chicago V
Manu Dibango - Afridelic: the Best of
Lonnie Liston Smith - Expansions
Various Artists – Blame it on the Dogg: the Swamp Dogg Anthology 1968-1978
Tim Buckley – Morning Glory: the Tim Buckley Anthology
Ike & Tina Turner - Bold Soul Sister: the Best of the Blue Thumb Recordings
Friends of Distinction - Golden Classics
Velvet Crush - A Single Odessey
Various Artists – Midwest Funk: Funk 45’s from Tornado Alley
Ohio Players - Orgasm: the Very Best of the Westbound Years
Bettye LeVette - Scene of the Crime
Muddy Waters - Hard Again
M. Ward - Post-War
Various Artists – Rough Guide to the Music of Madagascar
Ramsey Lewis - The In Crowd: Anthology
Graham Central Station – The Best of
Rembrandts - Greatest Hits
Doll By Doll - Remember
Four Tops - Keeper of the Castle: Their Best 1972 to 1978

08:34 PM PDT Permalink |

Banks are Evil ... and other rants

Reasons why I hate banks (#485 in a continuing series): I’ve been holding a check (from my store account to myself) since the first of the month, waiting to cash it until all the other checks we’d written had cleared (rent, employee payroll, tax payments). So, I went to the bank (the bank that my store had an account is not the same as where I have my personal account) on Friday morning, but they wouldn't let me cash it! The guy at the counter said it was because of "crossing." I wasn't exactly sure what he had said due to his poor pronunciation, so I had to ask him to repeat it three more times: Closing? Koh-sing? Crossing? What was he trying to say? It turns out I couldn’t cash the check because of what he calls "crossing" --- three ink marks, or slashes (or crosses, if you’re a bank weasel) on one side of the check next to where my name was written. So I e-mailed my business partner, Kaweewut, who had written all the checks before he left for Japan two weeks ago, and asked what this “crossing” thing was all about. He told me that many Thais do it to prevent someone from stealing your check and cashing it. But that didn’t make any sense to me: even Thai banks ask for an I.D. before they will complete any such transactions, so what real purpose does this “crossing” serve except to irritate people --- something that banks do a good enough job at already.

We hired a new employee this month at my bookshop, a Thai man in his early 20s with reasonably good English language skills. He showed up every day for the first week (not always on time: one day he “overslept” and came in an hour late for a shift that started at noon!) but this week he simply disappeared; no phone call or explanation of any sort. I’m not sure what happened: was he bored or just didn’t like the work? Was it all too difficult for him to comprehend? Or was I that much of a slave driver? Perhaps my warning to be careful when sorting out the Kellerman books (keep Faye, Jesse, and Jonathan in order!) drove him over the edge.

The afternoon rush at my bookshop was over and I was eating some papaya slices and reading the Bangkok Post on Thursday. After I had digested both the hard news and the papaya, I thumbed through the paper’s travel section, “Horizons” … and was surprised to see one of my photos on page two! The travel section asks readers to share photos of people they have met during their travels, so about two months ago I did just that and sent them three shots I’d taken during my most recent trip to Myanmar. A month went by, so I lost hope that any of my pics would ever be chosen. It’s not as prestigious as getting a photo published in a magazine like National Geographic, but I’ll take it! Here’s the link for the online version of the photo (taken at a village school near Yenangyaung) and the description:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/091008_Horizons/09Oct2008_hori73.php

Meanwhile, back on the US presidential campaign trail, the manure continues to pile up. The McCain campaign is running new and even more outrageous ads, including blatant distortions such as this snippet from a 90-second ad:
“Barack Obama and domestic terrorist Bill Ayers. Friends. They've worked together for years. But Obama tries to hide it."
Clearly, the McCain-Pailhead juggernaut will stop at nothing to strike fear and uncertainty into the minds of the voting public. One woman, at a rally in Minnesota (normally, a very nice place) told McCain: “I don't trust Obama. I have read about him and he's an Arab." To his credit, McCain politely tossed that stinkbomb back at the crazy lady: "No ma'am, no ma'am. He's a decent family man... [a] citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues. That's what this campaign is all about."

And it certainly SHOULD be about issues, not childish personal attacks and pathetic insinuation. The Minnesota lady’s comments are laughable on one level, but when dimwits like that are allowed to vote, and spread lies and rumors, then there is real cause for concern. The polls say that Obama is building a comfortable lead, but I’m not feeling comfortable or confident that he’ll win at all: any nation that can elect an obvious idiot like George W. Bush (not once but twice!) is capable of making other disasterous decisions.

Adding to the nasty tone of the election, I received a blatantly racist e-mail (some would call it a “cute” Obama joke) this week … from a member of my own family! And they wonder why I don’t return home for visits. I’m quite the black sheep of my family, and being surrounded by a bunch of right wing Christians who rage about “evil liberals” like Hillary, Bill, and Obama, while pondering which new model of SUV they should buy, holds no appeal to me whatsoever. Go “home” for the holidays? I do believe I’ll pass on that particular form of torture, thank you. I’ll remain here, happy and healthy, amongst the so-called heathens.

12:10 AM PDT Permalink |

Thai Turmoil

Yes, the chaos continues here in Bangkok. But, as anyone who lives here can attest: all protests and isolated acts of violence are confined to a very small part of town. Elsewhere, life goes on. One article, in the Business section of today’s Bangkok Post, was titled: “Violent clashes likely to scare away tourists.” This is another good example of bad journalism, or why editors need to be more attentive. Here is the first paragraph:
“The clashes between security forces and the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) have badly affected the tourism industry and destroyed the country’s image.”
First of all, while these clashes MAY cause SOME tourists to cancel trips to Thailand, such a trend hasn’t happened yet. Any decline in tourist arrivals thus far this year is more likely due to economic reasons, not because some backpacker read about protesters taking over government buildings in Bangkok. Secondly, none of these events have “destroyed” the country’s image. Even though the situation yesterday WAS pretty nasty --- two people died and hundreds were reported to have been injured in the mayhem --- it would be more accurate to say such clashes have damaged or tainted the country’s image. Let’s leave “destroyed” for something truly catastrophic.

Nevertheless, these continuing protests, and the government’s harsh reaction to them, are definite cause for concern. Things could more likely get worse before there is a resolution to this conflict. The same article in today’s paper had a comment from Natwut Amornvivat, the president of the Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau. “We must inform tourists that the clash area in only one spot in Bangkok,” he said, “and far from shopping, commercial areas, and exhibition and convention centers.” In other words, we won’t worry about a few people (a few dozen, a few hundred, a few thousand, it doesn’t matter: Mai Pen Rai, baby!) getting killed or maimed, as long as it doesn’t affect people’s ability to go shopping things are fine! Yep, this is Thailand.

The first three customers on Saturday morning were all dudes wanting to sell books, all which (both the dudes and the books) smelled heavily of cigarette smoke. We’re talking thoroughly caked and reeking of nicotine. It’s as if these books had been sitting in a room full of Chinese gamblers for the past ten years. I had to wash my hands twice after I had finished sorting through each pile of books.

And then on Sunday morning we were treated to no electricity for a few hours. The good thing was that we were prepared for this outage; the city had sent notices earlier in the week announcing the power cut, but warned it might last from early morning until early afternoon. Luckily, the power came back on shortly after eleven that morning, just before the first big sale of the day and things had become too toasty inside the store.

I got a phone call last week from my kids in Cambodia (children in the Tri family, whom I have been helping put through school the past few years), wanting to know when I was coming to visit. I was hoping to come over this month for a few days, but after having to make the unexpected visa run to Malaysia last month, and trying to save my for scheduled trip to Myanmar in November, I just won’t have enough money to do it. So, I had to tell the kids that I would have to postpone my visit until around the first of the year. But I wanted to get some money to them, and told them to call me back this week and I would tell them when to expect the funds. Normally, if I can’t make it to Phnom Penh (the family lives about 20 km outside of town) I will go to Western Union and send money to my friend Reang Sey at her hotel in Phnom Penh. The kids can then go by and pick up the money from her. But this time I found out that my friend Andy (just back from a fantastic trip to Myanmar) was going over there in a few days, so I gave him a chunk of money, which he promptly delivered to Reang Sey. So, when Huot called me this week, I was able to give him the good news: you have some money waiting for you at the hotel. And I hard further words of advice: Just keep studying hard, eat your vegetables, and don’t blow it all on new clothes or playing computer games!

12:50 AM PDT Permalink |

Fights and Bites

There was an interesting online AP article this week about the Bangkok governor’s election. Most of it focused on Chuwit Kamolvisit, the colorful retired/reformed massage parlor tycoon (note to John McCain & Sarah Palin: this is what you call a real maverick candidate!). Here are a few excerpts:

“Politics is so dirty, so ugly," Chuwit Kamolvisit sighs. "I would rather sit tight in the nightclub, surrounded by girls, smoking cigars, drinking brandy, champagne. That was the perfect life." As for those who disapprove of his years in the hot tubs, Chuwit shrugs. "The sex business is not a problem," he said. "If you don't have sex, that's a problem.”

The next day Chuwit made front page news in Bangkok after getting into a scuffle with a local TV anchor-weasel. Chuwit certainly lost points in the eyes of many voters by losing his cool and throwing an elbow jab at the TV creep. But after reading a translated transcript of the interview that inspired the attack, I can almost sympathize with Chuwit. Yes, Chuwit was evasive and gave murky answers to many questions, but much of what the interviewer asked him was pointless and inane. The oddest moment was one accusation he tossed at Chuwit: “you dare not speak about your weakness.” Huh? If nothing else, it’s an example of how TV journalism has disintegrated (perhaps it’s always been this bad here in Thailand) and how some TV talking heads would be better off seeking employment as hair stylists.

As I was exiting the Skytrain at the Ekkamai station last night at about nine o’clock, my cell phone rang. It was my friend Jay calling. The conversation went something like this:
JAY: “Were you working at your store tonight?
DON: “Yeah, I was there all day, open till close.”
JAY: “Was Kiwi working there too?”
DON: “No. He’s been in Japan all week. It was just me and one of the girls.”
JAY: “That’s weird.”
DON: “Why?”
JAY: “Man, you’re never going to believe this. I just ran into Jimmy Page at the Phrom Phong Skytrain Station. We were talking and I noticed he had a book in his hand. He said he had just bought it from a used bookshop down the street. He told me that a Thai guy sold it to him, that’s why I asked if Kiwi was working at your shop tonight.”
DON: “Well, I don’t look Thai and I’m pretty sure he didn’t buy it from me. With all the rain, we only had a handful of customers after six tonight and none of them looked remotely like Jimmy Page.”
JAY: “I guess he got it from that other shop across the street from the Emporium.”
DON: “Oh well, we missed another celebrity.”

If I’m keeping track correctly, this is the third Jimmy Page sighting in Bangkok this year, two of them by Jay. The Led Zeppelin guitar guru must have fallen for the city of angels, or perhaps fallen for an angel in the city.

One of the regular customers at my shop is an American woman named Sherry. To celebrate her 60th birthday this month, she is taking a trek in Nepal with some of her friends and her son. But just a few weeks ago she wasn’t sure if she was going to make the event or not. She had to be hospitalized for several days after a cat bite became infected. The crazed cat in question was left in her care several years ago, but apparently never acclimated properly. While the cat was being taken to the vet last week, it managed to claw its way through the holding case and jump out the window of a moving taxi on Sathorn Road. No sign of it since then. Sherry doesn’t seem concerned with the fate of the feline: “Good riddance!”

02:10 AM PDT Permalink |

Reading Lists

Not only do I have a definite book addiction, I’m also curious about what other people are reading. If I see someone with a book on the Skytrain or in the airport, I’ll peek to see what they are reading. I run a bookshop, so you would think books would be a natural topic to discuss with friends and family, but for some odd reason I am rarely privy to what others have been reading. To satisfy my curiosity, I sent out an e-mail this week and asked: What are you Reading? Happily, I discovered that reading is not the dying pastime that it’s supposed to have become --- at least among some of the people I know. Lots of people are reading lots of books. Here are a few of the responses I got to my query:

Dave in Orlando: “War by Revolution” by Donald M. McKale, “Lawrence of Arabia,” “Victory 1918” by Alan Palmer
Patrick in Paris: Amitav Ghosh, George Soros, “Great Railway Bazaar” by Paul Theroux, “Canoe to Mandalay” by Maj. R. Raven-Hart
Dennis in Michigan: “Three Cups of Tea” by Greg Mortenson, “Water for Elephants” by Sarah Gruen, “Adventures of a Female Nomad” by Rita Golden Gelman
Jay in Bangkok: “Suite Francaise” by Irene Nemirovsky, “Fiasco: the American Military Adventure in Iraq” by Thomas Ricks
John in Atlanta: “Running with Scissors” by Augusten Burroughs, “Tales from Margaritaville” by Jimmy Buffett, “Mike’s Election Guide 2008” by Michael Moore
Susan in Hawaii: “Power vs. Force” by David R. Hawkins, “The Revolution” by Ron Paul, Robert B. Parker “Spenser” novels, T. Jefferson Parker, Bill Pronzini westerns
Jim in Florida: “Killer Angels” by Michael Shaara, “Shock Doctrine” by Naomi Klein
Lyle in Bangkok: “Breaking the Code” by Gyles Brandreth, “Humble Pie” by Gordon Ramsay, “Father Brown” mysteries by G.K. Chesterson
Pascale in Paris: “Milennium” trilogy by Stieg Larsson, “Echo Park” by Michael Connelly, “Guns Germs & Steel” by Jared Diamond, Arturo Perez-Reverte, Fred Vargas, Paul Auster
Caroline in England: “Dreams of Water” by Nada Awar Jarrar
Yehuda in Havana: “Sea of Poppies” by Amitav Ghosh, “Leo Africanus” by Amin Malouf
Ursula in Bangkok: Doris Lessing short stories, Agatha Christie mysteries, Mary Higgins Clark, Graham Greene
Daniel in Bangkok: “Eat Pray Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert, “Brothers: the Hidden History of the Kennedy Years” by David Talbot
Louise in South Carolina: “Hot, Flat & Crowded” by Thomas J. Friedman, “Nature Girl” by Carl Hiaasen, Doris Kearns Goodwin book about the Lincoln cabinet
Thanegi in Yangon: “Birds without Wings” by Louis de Bernieres, “Carter Beats the Devil” by Glen David Gold, “By George” by Wesley Stace, “Theft” by Peter Carey
Bob in Winter Park: “Child of God” by Cormac McCarthy, “Not in the Flesh” by Ruth Rendell, “The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan, “Quiver” by Peter Leonard
Laurie in California: “The Open Road” by Pico Iyer, “Divisadero” by Michael Ondaatje
Carol in Orlando : “All About Lulu” by Jonathan Evison, “Nineteen Minutes” by Jodi Picoult, “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” by Joseph Campbell
Jill in Atlanta: “Freak Unique” by Pete Burns, “Old School” by Tobias Wolff, “The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak, “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller, Chuck Klosterman
John in California: “The Nine” by Jeffrey Toobin, “The Wisdom of Insecurity” by Alan Watts, “Dirty Sweet” by John McFetridge
Joan in Greensboro: “Kite Runner” and “A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini, “Wideacre” by Philippa Gregory
Roger in Taipei: “A Prisoner of Birth” by Jeffrey Archer, “Blind Faith” by Ben Elton, “The God Delusion” by Richard Dawkins
Ben in Atlanta: “Dangerous Tides” by Christine Feehan, “Nothing to Lose” by Lee Child, “The Narrows” by Michael Connelly, “Critical” by Robin Cook, “Lessons in Becoming Myself” by Ellen Burstyn, “Protect and Defend” by Vince Flynn, “Where Have all the Leaders Gone” by Lee Iacocca, “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch, “Audition” by Barbara Walters

One of those who responded, Bob Morris, is an accomplished author himself; three of his entertaining Zack Chasteen mysteries have been published this decade. Bob is one of the judges for this year’s Edgar Allen Poe Award, given for best first mystery novel in the U.S. “That means,” says Bob, “I'll be getting 75-80 books to read before the end of 2008.” Damn, that almost sounds like real work. Doesn’t like look much hammock time this fall for Mr. Morris! Bob’s new book, A Deadly Silver Sea, will be out on hardcover in December. And he’s already at work on another one, Baja Florida, which he describes as “a modern-day western set in the Bahamas.” For more on what Bob has been doing, see his blog:
http://surroundedonthreesides.blogspot.com/

The election for Bangkok governor will be held on Sunday, which means the usual moratorium on alcohol sales … starting on Saturday. That’s right; no beer or anything else to make you tipsy all weekend. I’ve talked to more than one local who is heading to Pattaya for the weekend, just so he can sip his Singha without getting busted. The logic behind this odd ban is that the Bangkok authorities don’t want any inbrebiated voters going to the polls. But that certainly never prevented several fairly dubious characters from getting elected to national office in recent years.

Customer comment of the week: One man noticed a copy of “Weddings for Dummies” on a wall display in my bookshop and remarked: “Now there’s any oxymoron for you!”

04:22 AM PDT Permalink |

Film for Thought

One of the regular customers at our bookshop, Ing, is also an artist and filmmaker. She is Thai but attended university in England, is a voracious reader, and speaks flawless English. She and her husband Manit Sriwanichpoom also run the Kathmandu Gallery in Bangkok. Ing’s latest film, Citizen Juling, is showing at the Bangkok Film Festival this week. She produced the film, under the name Ing K, along with Manit and Kraisak Choonhaven. It’s the true story of a young Thai teacher who was tragically murdered by Muslim extremists in Thailand’s Deep South two years ago. But the 220-minute film (yep; nearly 4 hours!) is much more than a documentary of a senseless killing and the unrest in the Deep South, it also delves into the cultural and political complexities of Thailand. The film premiered last month at the Toronto Film Festival. One reviewer called it “powerful and compelling, offering an unflinching and achingly human view of some of Thailand's social conflicts.” It opened at the Bangkok fest on Friday, and will be shown again on Monday. After that, the next scheduled festival appearance will be early next year in Berlin.

I like to follow politics but I’m going mighty annoyed by the B.S. being spewed during the US presidential campaign. The next time John McCain says “my friends” during a speech someone should squirt the contents of a fire extinguisher all over him. Enough with the fake folksly “my friends” shtick already! For a guy who used to seem fairly level-headed, McCain is frequently displaying bizarre behavior. I don’t mind his flip-flopping so much (hey, changing one’s opinion is certainly healthier than stubbornly sticking to mistakes), but the strangely nutty act of picking strangely nutty Sarah Palin to be his running mate shows very poor judgment. While not as sleazy at campaigning as the Rove-ian Republicans, the Democrats are also bombarding the public with inane messages and utter rubbish, such as their “tactic” of repeating the idea that voting for McCain is the same as voting for four more years of Bush. Sorry, but nobody, even a right-wing ex-maverick like McCain, could be as much of a disaster as Bush as been. Sarah Palin, however, is another story. Someone with her “credentials” should not even be part of a presidential ticket. Another embarrassing aspect to the dizzying downward spiral that America is undergoing.

The campaign for Bangkok Governor has been a predictably colorful and noisy affair so far; the campaign trucks are making their daily rounds on the streets of the city, blasting out songs and slogans, while the occasional real life candidate waves to the stupefied masses. On Monday afternoon a tuk-tuk with Chuwit signs passed me as I was walking down Sukhumvit Road near the Ekkamai intersection. I noticed a fellow waving from the back seat, and as he turned his head I saw that trademark moustache: Chuwit himself! Another underdog candidate, Leena Jung, has been doing her best to attract attention in the race, but this week’s events went not according to plan: her falling into Klong Saen Saeb on Wednesday was a bit comical, but a stunt the following day turned tragic when her campaign manager drowned in another city klong.

When my friend Walter went to Myanmar last week, I gave him about ten envelopes with money in them to distribute to friends in Bagan and Mandalay. Yesterday I received a reply from one of the recipients in New Bagan:
“Thank you very much for your kindness and your friendship and also for some tip money for our children through your friend. This tip money is very helpful for the children because now is the time for every family in need of money. Our family wish you good luck, good job and good future. Zin Zin & Family.

Getting a note like that only reinforces to me how important it is that tourists visit and support the people in towns like New Bagan. Myanmar tourism was barely chugging along earlier this year and then Cyclone Nargis struck and virtually paralyzed things. The plight of the people living in the delta area has been well publicized, but what’s less discussed is the economic devastation that occurred in towns that depend almost solely on tourism; places such as Bagan, Nyaungshwe (near Inle Lake), and Hsipaw. With the dramatic drop in tourist arrivals these communties are reeling.

04:11 AM PDT Permalink |

Books … Baseball … Bagan

I walked into the Kinokuniya branch in the Emporium on Monday night, aiming to buy a copy of the new issue of Mojo magazine. They had several copies, but one thing made me hesitate from buying one (other than the exorbitant price): the band Queen was on the cover. Yuck! If I decided to make a list of the “Ten Bands I Could Live the Rest of My Life without Hearing Again,” surely Queen would rank near the top. So when I saw them on the cover of the magazine, which also included an article about the making of the Beatles “White Album” (great record, but I don’t need to read about it ad nauseum), I decided to pass. Instead, I used the nearly 500 baht in savings to buy a book that caught my eye: By George, the latest novel by the talented Wesley Stace. As detailed in this blog earlier this year, Wesley Stace is the real name of the musician known as John Wesley Harding. His first novel, Misfortune was outstanding, evidence of just how talented this man is: great singer, songwriter, book writer, and all around nice person. He even plays a good game of tennis, something I can personally attest to: he and his girlfriend Denise demolished me and a friend in a doubles match about 15 years ago. Watch out Wes, I’ll seek my revenge on the court again one day!

I had thought about Wes just the week before when I read a notice about a new CD, Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails by a collective called the Baseball Project. When I found out which musicians were involved in this project I became quite excited: Steve Wynn (ex-Dream Syndicate and other projects), Scott McCaughey (Young Fresh Fellows, Minus 5, R.E.M.) and Peter Buck (R.E.M.). The album is full of baseball-inspired tunes, including “Satchel Paige Said,” “Ted Fucking Williams,” “Sometimes I Dream of Willie Mays,” “Harvey Haddix,” and a song dedicated to Curt Flood. Makes me wish I still had my baseball card collection. The reason I associated Wes with this project was because during that tennis weekend all those years ago, I also attended an Atlanta Braves baseball game with him and Denise. At that game Wes mentioned that Steve Wynn had taken him to see his first baseball game in L.A. the previous year. After that initial exposure to the grand game, Wes became hooked himself. Wes is now living in New York, but hopefully he never became a Yankees fan.

Cool commuter of the week: the western man I saw on the Skytrain on a rainy Friday night, clutching a David Lodge book in his hands. Good taste!

Bizarre customers of the week: The Thai couple who showed up on Sunday evening and stayed for two hours, nursing a single cup of cocoa (why do Thais always order cocoa and rarely coffee?) for nearly two hours and reading the books they had bought from … Kinokuniya down the street. Very odd.

I’ve talked to several people who are traveling to Myanmar this month, including my friend Walter and Andy from the USA. They both report that getting tourist visas from the Myanmar embassy in Bangkok is now easier, but apparently requires an interview. Andy met his mother in Bangkok earlier this month and is showing her around the region. After Thailand, they headed over to Cambodia and then to Laos. This week it’s Myanmar. Both Andy and Walter were kind enough to take some books to the Kuthodaw Library in New Bagan for me. Win Thuya, who started the library, sent me an update on the library’s status this week:
“We are very happy to tell you that after 3 years of work, the Ministry of Public Relations has decided to approve the licence for Kuthodaw Library. The licence is good for one year, starting 25 August. This will make it much easier for us to organise seminars and workshops.”
The library is located just off the main road in New Bagan, diagonally across the street from the morning market. They shut down for an hour or two for lunch each day, but otherwise are open daily. Tourists are always welcome to visit. Thuya and his friends have done an outstanding job stocking the library with books in both English and Burmse, along with lots of newspapers and magazines. The library is free for locals.

04:02 AM PDT Permalink |