Wedding day blues
The invitation card has landed
Oh no, my wife has just come home and plonked an envelope on my work-desk. It's not a bank statement and it's not junk mail (I only wish it was) One glance at the familiar scented, pink envelope tells me all I need to know. It's an invitation to a Thai wedding. And there's no way I'm getting out of it.
Surviving Thailand's roads
How to avoid becoming just another statistic
Most Thais do not have any understanding or desire to learn road safety. If you grew up in my generation you had Tufty and his gang drilling the green cross code into your brain, and those lessons never get forgotten as the years pass by.
Children's day
What this special day should really signify
One of the nicest aspects of living in Thailand is the way in which it embraces its children and families. Bangkok offers an impressive array of activities for children from Dusit Zoo to iceskating, from Lumpini Park to the Aquarium but they are only accessed by a small minority of Thailand's children.
Lucky day colours
Did you know that in Thai culture, each day has a colour?
A Thai student explained to me that the Thai people have a tradition in that they believe it brings good luck to wear certain colour clothing on certain days throughout the week. They take this tradition from an astrological rule.
On Bangkok
Falling in love again with this unique city
Bangkok is left to its own devices. The planning is horrible so the city is left to grow naturally. It is ugly, sprawled, and terrifying to drive in, but it is also so human.
On fatalism and choice
East versus West
People in Thailand have a more fatalistic view of life than people in the west do. This view may seem odd to most westerners, especially to Americans, who believe that they should do their best to control the vicissitudes of life.
An overview of teaching in Thailand
I thought this might be of benefit to new ajarn readers in particular
I was asked to fill in a questionnaire by my old university on the topic of teaching English in Thailand. Although it was intended to encourage applicants to take a Thai study program in Germany, the information might be useful for those teachers thinking of coming to work here in Thailand.
On the Bangkok protests And Thailand's mysterious culture
Thailand is still something of an enigma to me
I am currently living in the one of Thailand's southeastern provinces, in a place called Trat Town. As I hear more news about the anti-government protests in Bangkok heating up, so to speak, I am surprised by how little it affects me out here.
It's all in the training
Some companies get it right but many get it oh so wrong.
Live in Thailand for any length of time and you come to accept that customer service is either poor or just below average. That's why you want to literally jump for joy when a company really gets it right.
Grayscale
Potentially contentious issues in the LOS
"All in the game" is a great statement for Thailand. Omar, Avon, Stringer and the rest of the gang nailed it. Thailand is controlled by a few at the expense of the majority. The majority respond by doing what they can. It applies to all facets of daily life. For foreigners living in Thailand we're somewhere on the border of it all.
