Pop Culture

The Evolution of the Superhero Film

This particular entry isn't my normal Bangkok-focused blog post, but it's a topic close to my GeekHeart so I thought I'd put it up anyway. A few weeks ago the Bangkok Post asked me write a 2,000-word story about superhero films, which I quickly agreed to because I am a nerd. I started writing off the top of my head and soon had over 3,000 words; cutting it down to just over 2,000 was hard, but they accepted it, so I guess it's good, and they told me they liked it. Anyway, since I'm a huge geek (in the manliest way possible) and I think this is fascinating stuff, I thought I'd throw it up here. This version is my original version, which differs slightly from the one the paper printed after a bit of snipping, as they are wont to do. Enjoy, fellow geeks!

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:17+00:00History, Movies, Pop Culture, Print Media|0 Comments

Thoughts on The Hangover Part 2

The unique-ness of Bangkok is evident to anyone who's spent even a day here, and it offers some of the craziest and most unique experiences one can have. It's no wonder, then, that a movie like The Hangover - which drew the weird and wonderful out of a crazy and dangerous city - wanted to have a sequel set here. Much like any place, it's big news when a bigtime Hollywood production comes to town. Stars get glimpsed, script details get leaked, set photos get passed around, and it seems that everyone knows someone who works on, in, or around the production. It's always fun going to see the final product, so tonight I went to see The Hangover Part 2, and here's what I thought.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:21+00:00Bangkok, Movies, Pop Culture|2 Comments

A Perfect Songkran

Good lord, it's been three weeks since I posted last. Well, it's been a busy few weeks, plus I had a case of the lazies for a while, but it's a good thing they're over, because next week is all about: sleeping in! That's right, it's Songkran, the Thai New Year. I'm not going to write a post about the history of Songkran or its background or customs. It's a huge-ass waterfight for four or five days that pretty much shuts the country down. Think Christmas/Thanksgiving but it's 38ºC and everyone has a water cannon. But Songkran becomes a bit tiring once you've done it a few times, so this year I'm doing what I do best - staying in and ignoring the whole shebang.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:23+00:00Bangkok, Culture, Holidays, Pop Culture|0 Comments

Cultural Counterweights

The topic of navigating inter-cultural relationships in Thailand is something that comes up a lot in books, bars, and especially on the web. In Bangkok, it’s kind of assumed that a foreigner will have a Thai girlfriend – with a few thousand of us and a few million of them, it’s simply a numbers game. (So much so that it's still a bit odd when you see a foreign guy with a foreign girl, or even odder, a foreign girl with a Thai guy, but that’s another post). The topic was being discussed and dissected long before I was even born, but I’ve been mulling it for a while and wanted to put something down on, err, a thin liquid crystal display panel. Obviously, this post will be from the perspective of a foreigner (that’s me) and will obviously not cover both sides of the coin, but I’d like to hear what you think.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:26+00:00Culture, Pop Culture, Thailand, Video|12 Comments

Is Twitter an Expat’s Best Friend?

A surprising amount of people ask me just what exactly Twitter is. What is it good for? they say. Why would I want to know what you're eating? What I usually tell them is that Twitter is like a big bag of cocaine: if you don't have a use for it, it's totally pointless to have it. However, as an expat it can come in really handy as a networking tool, a business tool and even - gasp! - become a vital part of your life. I should know - I once asked my friend why I should sign up for Twitter if I didn't care to know what he was eating. I was way wrong.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:34+00:00Bangkok, Culture, Pop Culture, Technology, Web Media|0 Comments

ExciTED, MotivaTED, ExhausTED: Anatomy of a TEDx Conference

Up until about 6 months ago, I only had a few basic tatters of information about TED Talks. I knew it was an annual conference, or... something. I'd seen a few talks on the website and thought it was an interesting concept, but it was only when I was invited to help organize Thailand's first TEDx event, TEDxBKK (the 'x' stands for an independently organized TED event under the main TED umbrella), did I truly get an understanding of what a powerful, important and tremendously enjoyable event they can be. The big day was February 13, 2010, and it went of superbly, thanks to a great team that really personified what TED is all about. Another reason I got a backstage view of the whole thing? I was asked to be the host.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:34+00:00Bangkok, Culture, Movies, Music, Politics, Pop Culture, Technology, Thailand, Web Media|0 Comments

IMAX is Awesome – Except When They Lie

(This post might get a bit technical and nerdy, but I'm technically a nerd, so no apologies).

There are many things that make me proud to be Canadian, such as our diverse cultural heritage, our laid-back nature and the fact that our cases of beer have handles big enough to allow mittens to fit through them. Another thing is that IMAX is actually a Canadian company, which not a lot of people know. But the way that the famous giant film screen company has been behaving lately has made me wonder what they're thinking. Indeed, their current expansion efforts are progressing in such a way that will likely piss people off, and may even kill the once-rad name.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:35+00:00History, Movies, Pop Culture, Technology|3 Comments

Ten Commandments for Living in Thailand

thumb Every place has rules - from your school to your job to your girlfriend's apartment, there are just certain tenets you need to follow if you don't want to get a boot to the curb. Countries work the same way. Some rules are legal, some are moral, and some belong to that long and growing list of unwritten rules that govern different parts of our life (such as the one saying that male friends can't touch knees in a movie theater). Below are some of the rules that you need to live by if you plan on staying in Thailand for any length of time. Of course, my list is by no means comprehensive, but it's a start.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:42+00:00Bangkok, Culture, Language, Pop Culture, Thailand, Tips on Visiting, Travel|0 Comments

A Few Things Thailand Has Perfected

check As with most foreigners in Thailand, I sometimes get upset with the many ineffective, inefficient quirks that Thailand has; the type of day where you say "Well, they did it this way in my country, why don't they do it that way here?" The correct answer, of course, is "Then go home, whiner." But while Thailand often lacks a certain refined efficiency in many areas, there are plenty of other areas - some of them creature comforts that we're used to getting at home - that are done far better than they ever were in the Motherland. Of course, I don't mean to dis Canada, but I think it's a fair representation of most western countries. Here's some of my favorite differences.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:45+00:00Culture, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Thailand|0 Comments

The Yin and Yang of Thai Comedy

yinyang Before I go into a rant here, I want to preface this by saying that, as a guy with some stand-up comedy experience under his belt, I fully understand that comedy is an extremely subjective topic. One guy's knee-slapper is another guy's groaner; one girl's howlingly funny anecdote is another girl's highly offensive gutter tale. So, if anything I say in this post comes off as offensive, keep in mind it's nothing more than my opinion of a highly subjective topic. That being said, Thai comedy, specifically Thai television comedy, is an offense to the word comedy. It's not just bad, it's staggeringly awful. But amid the gloom is a bright light - the unparalleled genius of Thai commercials.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:46+00:00Culture, Pop Culture, Television, Thailand|0 Comments