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2 11, 2010

“You Just Don’t Understand Thailand.”

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:27+00:00Bangkok, Culture, Thailand|11 Comments

One of the favorite activities that expat barflies love to do is complain. In fact, one of the favorite activities that most any expat living in Thailand likes to do is complain. Some are loud and obnoxious about it, some (like me, I hope) are more subtle and kind, but it’s important to know that at its heart, all of this complaining is borne out of a love for Thailand. Most conversations begin with, “Why don’t they do it this way…” which is not a critical attack; more often than not its an attempt to offer alternatives. But what bugs me to no end is the worst, most lazy retort imaginable: You just don’t understand Thailand. I don’t hate many things in life, but I really hate that.

19 10, 2010

Term Limits on a Return Home

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:27+00:00Culture, Travel|6 Comments

Back when I was living in the motherland, I was a media junkie. I had subscriptions to Entertainment Weekly, full cable on my TV, a membership at Rogers Video and a fast (for then) internet connection. I stayed current on new music, television, movies, celebrity gossip, fashion, scandals and gadgets, and never missed the season premiere of a hot new show. But one of the things I wasn’t prepared for when I moved to Thailand was how quickly I would fall out of touch with the things that used to allow me to fit in to western culture so well. As an expat, you often get sharp reminders of just how disconnected you are, and then one day you realize that you might not fit in so well if you ever moved back home.

11 10, 2010

gregtodiffer.com x Dress-Lace Lace Dress- Lovely Flared Skater Skirt

Greg2010-10-11T08:48:22+00:00Bangkok|0 Comments

gregtodiffer.com x Dress-Lace Lace Dress- Lovely Flared Skater Skirt / Scattered Sequin Embellishment

This gregtodiffer.com x dresslace online lace dress with a lovely flared skater skirt and a scattered sequin embellishment would make a lovely addition to your dress collection. The dress is created with two layers, an underskirt lining and a mesh covering on which the sequins are attached. The primary color of the dress is white with sequins in are pink, blue and pale green. The back of this dress has a zipper closure. The sleeveless design of this dress makes it the perfect choice for a warm […]

4 10, 2010

Bangkok’s Biggest Burger. Seriously.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:28+00:00Bangkok, Food|0 Comments

As the inevitable slow (death) march towards the ubiquity of American junk food gains pace, the relative healthfulness, price and availability of delicious Thai street food becomes even more precious. Witness the opening of Thailand’s first Krispy Kreme shop, which got a ludicrous amount of attention and lineups more akin to a Justin Bieber concert than a lump of fried dough. But every once in a while in Bangkok you must indulge, and I recently found a place that takes indulgence to a whole new level with the most outrageously oversized hamburger I have ever seen. While I try to avoid disgusting displays of the gluttony that western culture seems to have a trademark on, I've written about mutant hamburger fads here before. Once I saw this monster, I knew that it was too insane not to write about.

27 09, 2010

Comparing Bangkok to a Few European Cities…

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:28+00:00Culture, Holidays, Thailand, Travel|0 Comments

Well, that was a long break. As previously stated, I took a wee vacation to the far-off land we call “Europe” with my lady, and am only now getting back into the Bangkok groove. I only manage one big vacation every few years, so it was a long time coming. Enjoyed it a lot, spent too much money, but it was worth it – you know the drill. At any rate, it was interesting to me, living in one of Asia’s biggest, most culturally important cities, to experience some of Europe’s biggest, most culturally important cities. I had a few thoughts on Bangkok while there…

29 08, 2010

The Irony of Shoe Shopping in Thailand

Greg2017-03-01T07:27:31+00:00Bangkok, Shopping, Thailand|0 Comments

One of the problems with being a big guy in Asia is that, well, you’re a big guy in Asia, where the locals are generally considered... uh, well, let's just say there's only one person here that I have to look up at to talk to. A bit of detail for you here – I’m about 6’2” (187cm) and weigh about 260lbs (117kg). At home in Canada, I’m a bit bigger than normal, but not huge; many of my friends there are bigger than me, both vertically and horizontally. But being a big guy in Asia presents its own set of Lilliputian problems, most of which revolve around clothes, especially shopping for shoes. Let me share my story.

18 08, 2010

Meanwhile, in Bangkok… Thai Want Ads

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:28+00:00Meanwhile in Bangkok...|2 Comments

Maybe it had to do with the rise of Craigslist, or maybe it was like this before I got here, but either way, scanning the job ads in a Thai newspaper can often be a bit of an eye-opener compared to the classifieds in western countries. I've written about resumes in Thailand before and the same crazy rules apply - put down stuff that you'd never be able to get away with back home and see what sticks. I came across this ad while perusing the paper today and thought it was kind of cute how specific they were.

9 08, 2010

Thai Massage: Rubbin’ Me the Wrong Way

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:28+00:00Health, Thailand|5 Comments

There are many things that people revel in while living in Thailand, either losing themselfves in a singular pursuit or peppering their existence with traces of hedonism: food, beaches, diving, rock climbing, meditation, yoga, and even (so I'm told) girls. I've tried most of these - meditation is okay but after about 45 seconds I start to wonder if anyone's sent me an email; diving is fun; food, well, clearly that's not a problem for me. But there's one of these little bliss-sicles that everyone raves about; that occupy hours of my friends' days and cause people to travel far and wide in search of it and even to train in its methods. It is also one thing that I simply do not get and go to great lengths to avoid: Thai massage.

3 08, 2010

Vanishing Bangkok: A Visit to Baan Bu Metalwork Factory

Greg2017-10-17T09:41:05+00:00Bangkok, Biking, History|0 Comments

Any city that's been hanging around for 228 years is bound to have its fair share of lost treasures and forgotten secrets. Thankfully, Bangkok isn't developing at the same speed as Beijing, where historical corners of the city are being steamrolled to prepare for condos and shopping malls, so there are still plenty of old corners and secrets to enjoy. My friend Lenka and I found one of these lost treasures one of our city bike rides, where we ride by the phrase 'ever narrower' to get lost, explore, and experience the real Bangkok. What we found was Baan Bu, a community in Bangkok Noi that produces exquisite handmade bowls the same way they've been doing for centuries.

26 07, 2010

Meanwhile, in Bangkok: Trolls and Buses

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:29+00:00Meanwhile in Bangkok...|0 Comments

The colorful tour buses that ply Bangkok's streets and Thailand's highways are - for some reason no one's ever been able to explain - splashed with crazy paintings in an acid-trip kaleidoscope of color. Everything from Disney cartoons to Grimm's fairy tales to heavy metal dreams are represented on these things, some better than others but all equally creative. There seems to be no end of what the artists will create. Of course, some of it is borderline inappropriate; it's a bit odd to see a bunch of grade 3 faces staring out of windows a few inches above cartoon Valkyries with huge boobs fighting a horde of drooling orcs. At any rate, I was driving down the street one day and saw this terrifying creature on the back of one of these buses.