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31 07, 2012

Texting With a Scam Artist

Greg2016-11-17T15:47:59+00:00Bangkok, Technology, Tips on Visiting|0 Comments

The oft-discussed topic of scam artists in Bangkok is a touchy subject. Convincing unsuspecting foreigners that their chosen temple/museum/attraction is closed and shoehorning them into a finely-tuned scam that's designed to part them from their money is big business. Despite promises of crackdowns, the scams still exist in large numbers, but it never ceases to amaze me just how many foreigners fall for these scams. I guess a large part of it is that you're in a strange city, disoriented, maybe a bit lost, hungry, thirsty, whatever, and a friendly voice is always a good thing, right? Still, I often wonder what would happen without the smiling face, so just for fun I made a little phone text experiment here that mimics how a typical scam plays out and the answers that one should give.

25 07, 2012

My PechaKucha Speech

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:00+00:00Bangkok, Biking, Video|0 Comments

On July 9, I was honored to be invited to speak at the all new PechaKucha Bangkok. Yeah, I know, I think it's a weird name too, but it's a pretty cool concept. Basically, it started in Japan as a forum for designers and creative people to get together and share their ideas and concepts. About 8 people get up and present something, and each of them has to get their idea across using only 20 PowerPoint slides, each one for exactly 20 seconds. It's a great format for a presentation, because every speaker has exactly the same amount of time, and it encourages presenters to be quick and punchy in their presentation style. A few weeks ago I was asked to present, so I chose my favorite hobby (besides nerding out online) - riding my bike in Bangkok.

5 07, 2012

Dangerous Crowds on the BTS

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:00+00:00Bangkok, Transport|8 Comments

Another day, another rush hour. I use the BTS every day to get to and from work, and many more times throughout the week to visit friends, move across town and even take my bike from point A to a little bit closer to point B where the bike ride will start. I'd say about 98% of the time the ride is pleasant, fast and hassle free. Yeah, it can be crowded, but what major city doesn't have a crowded mass transit system? Tokyo's is arguably the best in the world, and their train cars are busting at the seams. However, there comes a point when the issue of safety starts to creep into boring ol' issues like crowding and late trains, and Bangkok's BTS is now seeing that more and more often. Steps are being taken to address the safety issue, but will it be enough?

3 07, 2012

The Return of Bangkok Podcast!

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:01+00:00Audio, Bangkok, Web Media|0 Comments

My friend Tony and I had a lot of fun doing the Bangkok Podcast, but as I've written here before, it was a surprising amount of work to put together a weekly 1-hour show. Scheduling guests, booking studio time, lugging equimpment around, editing...it took its toll, especially when both of us had other full-time gigs to deal with. As they do, things change - Tony moved to Japan, I got married and started working on a handful of new projects - but now with the magic ot technology, we're both pretty happy to say that Bangkok Podcast has returned! Although in a slightly different format.

19 06, 2012

Can Thais Laugh at Themselves?

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:02+00:00Comedy, Culture, Pop Culture, Video, Web Media|0 Comments

Want to hear my favorite Canadian joke? Here it is: Two Canadians, let's call them Bob and Doug, are snowed in and bored. Bob says, "I'm bored, eh. Want to play a game?" "Doug says, "Sure, why not - how about 20 questions? I'll go first." So Doug thinks of something that Bob couldn't possible guess - moose cock. Bob says, "Okay, animal, vegetable or mineral...is it animal?" Ummm, yes it is." "Is it bigger than a bread box?" "No, smaller than a bread box." "Is it something you can eat?" "Hahaha, well, yes, I guess you could eat it if you had no other choice." "Is it moose cock?" (Pause for laughter) Okay, maybe it's not a great joke, but I like it for its pure stupidity, and it goes to show something interesting: us Canadians love making fun of ourselves. I was thinking about this over the past few days when a story a friend wrote blew up online, showing that Thais most definitely do not like people - even Thais - poking fun at Thailand.

11 06, 2012

The Sound of Culture in a Noisy City

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:02+00:00Bangkok, Culture, Music|0 Comments

Bangkok's noise is legendary, from the constant growl of traffic, to the bleating of 'pretty girls' selling the latest whitening cream, to outdoor speakers turned up to 11. It's often hard to find a peaceful corner - a fact that Not the Nation parodied so well - and when you do, you cherish it. It's even nicer when that peaceful corner is filled with lovely, soft classical music. I was lucky enough to attend an event recently that was just that, and even luckier to hang out with the talented musicans that performed. Surprisingly, they told me that these types of events were more common that I thought - you just have to know where to look.

29 05, 2012

Aung San Suu Kyi Wins

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:09+00:00Asia, Current Events, Politics|0 Comments

It was back in 2007 that I started blogging. Part of it was that I figured my demented genius was simply too awesome not to be shared, but it was mostly because I liked saying "I have a blog." Those early days were full of mistakes and wobbles with my writing - when I look back it's quite coarse and unpolished, but I've left it alone because, well, it is what it is. At any rate, my first post was on November 9, 2007 and my first subject was one that I'm very happy to be writing about again tonight in this short post - Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. That old post was about the failed protests and yet another crushed bid for democracy in which ASSK (as I'll call her) could only watch from behind her gates. But happily, tonight, for the first time in 24 years, ASSK has left Burma and landed in Bangkok.

11 05, 2012

Meanwhile, in Bangkok: Air-Conditioned Dog

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:09+00:00Meanwhile in Bangkok...|0 Comments

This might seem a bit goofy and probably dirty, but one of the first things I noticed when I moved to Thailand was that dogs all had huge, swinging balls. I'm not trying to be gross, I'm serious - think about it: almost every dog you see back home is neutered. But not in Bangkok - they're swingin' around in all their glory. This, of course, leads to a larger stray dog population and - much like us humans - if they want to prosper in a city this weird and harsh, they have to develop some serious street smarts and survival skills. Which is why I took a photograph of this dog.

28 04, 2012

A Visit to Wat Paknam

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:09+00:00Bangkok, Religion|0 Comments

There are plenty of temples (wats) spread around Bangkok, and after a while they just kind of blend into the background like Fred Flinstone running past the same house over and over again. It's a shame, really, because although most of them look the same from the outside, each one has its own unique story and history. I've only explored a small handfully in any detail myself, most notably Wat Traimit, as I used to live close by, and Wat Ratchabophit on an excursion with Siam Society several years ago, so I was happy to accept an invitataiton from my venerable buddy Phra Pandit to visit him at his temple, Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen (aka Wat Paknam), for lunch and a tour.

17 04, 2012

Sometimes You Just Feel Helpless in Thailand

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:10+00:00Language, Thailand|0 Comments

Living in Bangkok is such a dichotomous existence. On one hand, your street smarts, social acumen, and moral judgement get tested and honed to such a razor's edge that any existence you had back home seems soft and closeted in comparison. But on the other hand, parts of your life become black holes as certain skills get pushed so far into the background that you wake up one day and realize that you don't know how to do simple tasks anymore. I was thinking of this the other day as I sat in the back of a taxi when the realization hit me: "I have no idea where I am."