February 27, 2007

February 24, 2007

Shorts

Singha beer

From a thread on thai360.com, I hear that Singha beer is changing its alcohol content down by 1% to 5% (the thread reporting about this was curiously entitled "Singha turns gay"...).

As it is my favourite drink when I hang out in the bars or when eating, I feel quite concerned by this important news ... Well, it is not such a bad change, as I should be less tipsy after a night out. I just hope that this wonderful beverage will taste as nice as before.... Anyway Singha beer is still 6 degrees here in France.

Google Analytics

I have just installed "Google analytics" with my blog, so that I can get some better knowledge about people who visit this place (at least where they come from and how did they link). Not that I am really interested in getting a lot of hits, but this is a pleasant toy... So I just can say hello to all new and regular visitors, especially to some who seem to visit quite frequently. I would like to update more often but hey, what could be of interest being so far from Funland, and not only from a mere geographical point of view.

Chiang Khong

I keep fond memories from the night we spent with Tam last time in Chiang Khong (Chiang Rai province). We were staying in a nice guesthouse facing the lao side, and I really liked the quiet atmosphere there. As for Tam, he got the best message for his aching leg and often spoke about it after we returned (see October 2006).

I just read that there will be a new bridge linking Thailand with Laos in Chiang Khong, so go there very quickly before it becomes another Mae Sai ....

February 18, 2007

Thai music

Listening to thai music helps a lot to overcome the uneventful and boring days I have to go through before going back to Thailand.

I discovered a wonderful tool for listening and recording thai radios ; it is a small free software which is called Screamer : you just have to go to their website (www.screamer-radio.com), download it and you will be able to listen to - and record - radios from all genres and all countries. For Thailand only five or six are preset but among them there is Virgin Hitz which broadcasts the current thai hits, or Muangthai Chayio which has some lukthung at night. I try to send them some links from time to time to broaden the choice. My tastes are not limited to thai music and I discovered a wide range of radios for the music that I like most : dance music, hardcore, US country and even guggenmusik (very eclectic, isn't it ?).

Other places for listening thai music are Trueworld.net where you have to register for free, and of course the ethaimusic website where you can get many lyrics and some translations.

I find that thai music is nice but this has probably a lot to do with the fact that I love Thailand. Labanoon (a male group from the south) and I-Nam (the singer being a cute Buriram guy) play the music I prefer.

G-JR project thai singer
Madiow, one of the G-Jr cuties
Besides this, thai music scene provides a lot of eye candy, such as the famous twins Bang Kaew or lastyear's hot boyband G-JR project (a group of teens recruited through the Grammy development project). Their music is rather run-of-the-mill but God are they cute ...







I also like some songs for their words especially when these words are in keeping with my present mood. For example if I were currently in a karaoke with Tam, I would ask for this song by Instinct : "Khor yoo khondio" (I would like to stay alone), or this one by Peacemaker : "yoo yaang ngao-ngao" (living with loneliness), because they express better than words all I am feeling now.

I sometimes wonder whether I am not going back into my teen years ...

February 11, 2007

Post-Thailand depression

If you go to Thailand only for your holidays, you know well what I mean when I talk about post-Thailand depression. It generally begins somewhere in a taxi rushing in the night to the Bangkok airport - no matter wether you go east to Suwanaphum or north to Don Muang. And it disappears all of a sudden when you go through the customs leaving your country. Unfortunately there is a long period (from some weeks to several months) when you just have to live with it.

A boy I came across surfing a thai webboard - he should be an efficient nurse

Of course you may try to alleviate it through your work - if not boring -, your family, your friends, sport or whatever. Nothing is efficient enough. So here is a short list of what could help further :
- reading the webboards / sites / blogs related with Thailand (and not only the gay ones, some of which are rather depressing ...)
- looking at the international Thai TV channel which can be received all over the world with a dish
- preparing the next trip (but the excitement fades quickly when you realise that you use several long months to organize a stay that will last only some short weeks)
- learning thai language
- listening to thai radios on the web, keeping updated with the current hits and training for singing them in some  Soi Day&Night karaoke
- now and then, drinking a thai beer that you will have bought from the next asian shop (beware the cute shop assistant who will make things worse ...)
- of course calling your thai boyfriend if you have one (I am not sure I have one now)
- reading your Thailand travel logs of many years ago - just to be sure that things were not that better before ...
- looking for the umpteenth time at the pictures / films you made in Thailand and remembering the good times.

If you have other ideas, please feel free to post them ... Still eight months to go back (eight months !!!!!)