Archive for the 'Culture and Customs' Category

An Era of Urban Impatience: the Elevator Syndrome

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

Living in an age of over populating rapid urbanization that has seen many o’ wide open spaces replaced with the likes of slums and suburbia, the cities of the world continue to expand across horizons, expanding through the upper stretches of the biosphere. With longer horizontal and vertical distances to cover, we’ve come to be [...]

12 Nights (2000) Hong Kong Film starring Cecilia Cheung Pak-Chi and Eason Chan

Friday, January 22nd, 2010

The other night, I was browsing my friend’s movie collection and came across one of the first Asian films I became fond of from a decade back: 12 Nights (2000). My initial viewing was at the Denver Asian Film Festival of 2000. At that particular time, I was preparing to travel to Southeast Asia for [...]

The Actual P’s of Contemporary Capitalism and Marketing

Sunday, July 26th, 2009

Capitalism & Marketing Mix: The true story

Imagine an alien student studying human-kind getting hold of a Marketing text book. Sooner or later, they’d get to the chapter about the four P’s: What were they again—oh yea, Product. Place, Price, and Promotion. Reading further, they’d go on to learn that a few additional Ps were amended [...]

Dear Galileo หนีตามกาลิเลโอ : Thai Europe Adventure – Romance – Friendship Film

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009

Directed by Nithiwat Tharatorn starring Ray Macdonald (as Pisit) Chutima Theepanart (as Cherry), and Jarinporn Joonkiati (as Noon), Dear Galileo is a warm and modern Thai flick exploring the stretching bonds of friendship and love across the borders of Europe. Beginning in Thailand, the two prime characters, Noon and Cherry jump straight to [...]

The Contemperary Crips & Bloods of Thailand: Siamese Color Wars

Saturday, April 11th, 2009

All over the Thai media in recent times has been the colored shirt political rivalries infesting the Siamese political and public arenas. Initially headlined by the pro (current) government yellow shirts, known formerly as PAD (Peoples Alliance for Democracy), and their bitter opposition, pro ex-Thaksin-government red shirted rivals, or PAAD (Peoples Alliance Against Dictatorship).
As world [...]

Mangosteen Name Mystery: Thai joke version

Thursday, March 26th, 2009

With lifts on import bans in recent years, much of the western world has finally been introduced to the sweet & juicy delight of the mangosteen. This native Asian fruit identified scientifically as Garcinia mangostana is so new to the mass markets of US and Europe, common spell checkers  have yet to recognize it.
Our processing [...]

How to Interest and Attract Mates (Part One): Casual Confidence & Dress for Parties

Thursday, January 15th, 2009

An upcoming party is approaching and you’ve been strongly considering attending; A certain someone you’re interested will be there—or perhaps a few potential and ever-eligible mates are expected in the line up, only you’re not really sure what your prospects with any of them are, if at all existent. Do they [...]

It’s my turn to sing! Thai Karaoke Bar: Fun, Drinks, Girls & Violence

Monday, December 29th, 2008

If you’ve ever been out and about when the sun goes down in Thailand–from lively zones in the heart of the congested capital to run down, shady narrow sois (sub-street) out in the middle of nowhere–you might recall passing by one of those simple yet glamorous joints adjourned with colorful lights, and perhaps [...]

The Rapist-Magician of Thailand: Villagers Scared to Wits

Saturday, July 5th, 2008

Over the last month, villagers in Kanchanaburi province of Western Thailand, particularly those with women and young girls in their family have been freaking out about rumors going around regarding a pervert, apparently skilled in black magic and the art of mysteriously disapearing after committing naughty deeds on women and young girls in the middle [...]

Thailand Rule of Law: Praised Taxi Driver gets light Murder Sentence

Saturday, June 28th, 2008

As my 30 baht plate of Grapow Basil Stir fry was being cooked at the neighborhood eatery, I did what I and most Thais typically do while waiting–I grabbed the latest copy of Thai Rath newspaper to catch up on the latest action. Indifferent to the featured political headline giving hype to Thailand’s current Prime [...]