tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267926502024-03-14T12:20:09.573+07:00Ms Chocaholic with lots of opinions and an attitudeobviously as the title suggest, this site will contain information about me, my addiction to chocalates, and my opinions on things around me that may or may not concern me :)Jyotihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347881228202202246noreply@blogger.comBlogger293125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792650.post-58870166183697926822011-06-05T22:19:00.004+07:002011-06-05T23:06:59.089+07:00The answer is 42So while I was busy breaking my leg, it meant I didnt pay tribute properly to the brilliant Douglas Adams. But then again, unlikely I would have <a href="http://richarddawkins.net/articles/2630">carried a towel around all day</a> :) This year I just decided to wrap one around my left foot semi-permanently instead!<br /><br />Fans of DNA (Douglas Adams as he is referred to by many) will talk about how the books changed their lives. I wouldnt claim to be such an avid fan, but have to admit over the years I find myself borrowing his words a fair bit. Even if to only use some of his book titles, but why not! Who amongst us has never thought of and pondered questions such as 'Life, the Universe and Everything', and who amongst us had not had the occasion to say to people in their lives: 'Thanks for all the Fish'.<br /><br />Many will also have lots to say about his brilliance as a scientist - so much so that there is a book dedicated to mathematical reasons why DNA might have chosen '42' as the ultimate answer to 'life, the universe and everything'. I wont even pretend to understand any of that talk about using what base of mathematical number to arrive at why 6 times 9 is not 54 :)<br /><br />In fact, not having grown up in the UK or knowing about western literary work, I had no idea of who Doug Adams was until a couple of years after his death! The very first book I read by him was actually his last book 'Salmon of Doubt'. Interestingly, the book is a collection of all his otherwise unpublished articles - recent ones, but also going back to the days when he was still a high school boy. His talent and clever wit shone through already since then. I think I finished reading the book in 2 days (a record at that stage in my life..with all the other work pressures). <br /><br />After that book, I was on a quest. A quest to read the unconventional '5-book-trilogy' (If it were normal Hollywood movie, that would have been the sequel after sequel that just refuse to go away - but in the case of the Hitchhiker, no complaints :)<br /><br />Analyse it, dont analyse it - whatever works for you. But if you need a bit of humour in your life, do read the books. If nothing else, there will be something on every couple of page that should make you smile :)<br /><br />Exactly 10 years after his death, and he is still remembered with fondness by so many around the world. Me included. <br /><br />So, 'thanks for all the fish' Douglas!<br /><br /><br />ps. ohh and all you new gen iphone, ipad, ipod lovers - DNA was a big big Mac fan, so there you go ;)Jyotihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347881228202202246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792650.post-68018814248099077152011-06-02T22:10:00.007+07:002011-06-02T22:24:24.158+07:00The bright side....I keep getting told people are visual creatures (men more so than women?)<br />so here are some visuals :)<br /><br />The first is care package compliments of Khun Stephane<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g8rl5vizgOM/TeeoehEQMII/AAAAAAAAAbw/q6VefAN_uzI/s1600/RIMG0172%2B%25282%2529.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 194px; height: 144px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g8rl5vizgOM/TeeoehEQMII/AAAAAAAAAbw/q6VefAN_uzI/s320/RIMG0172%2B%25282%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613640702766362754" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The second? care package compliments of the doctor (ofcourse at a very hefty fee!)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n1-ZD9fKkfw/Teeo5lxR22I/AAAAAAAAAb4/4TQhW_qf2Rc/s1600/RIMG0173.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 245px; height: 184px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n1-ZD9fKkfw/Teeo5lxR22I/AAAAAAAAAb4/4TQhW_qf2Rc/s320/RIMG0173.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613641167885425506" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />and of course the last....care package compliments to my own addiction :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PWrbzgVLDe8/TeeqLo-qoBI/AAAAAAAAAcA/5GNzHSXYNMA/s1600/RIMG0174.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 160px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PWrbzgVLDe8/TeeqLo-qoBI/AAAAAAAAAcA/5GNzHSXYNMA/s320/RIMG0174.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613642577496154130" border="0" /></a>Jyotihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347881228202202246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792650.post-36355462932552419232011-05-30T16:55:00.003+07:002011-05-30T17:20:46.424+07:00I did sayI'm sure I've said this to a few friends at different times: I don't worry about dying from a chocolate overdose I'm more concerned about my clumsiness!! Rightly so <br /><br />In the last few weeks alone I've had a number of misses and minor accidents - a couple of falls around town while with my friend A, then fell down the stairs at home luckily managed to catch myself in time and only a somewhat sprained wrist that healed quickly enough.<br /><br /> But I suppose one cant escape what was bound to happen? Last week just after a visit to my physio, calmly walking on the footpath, deciding whether to jump in a cab or to go round the corner for some food, I suddenly twisted my foot. Felt this excruciating pain, like really awful pain and thought 'I'm in trouble'. Stood still holding my left foot for a minute or so, then tried to stand on it. Was bearable so maybe things aren't too bad. Went about business as usual for the rest of the afternoon. A slight bother in the foot, but again nothing overt the top well until I sat down and tried to get up again. The foot started to hurt, initially a little more than it had all afternoon, but then within less than a minute I could no longer out weight on my left foot and was soon limping. <br /><br />So straight I go to the hospital. The doc orders an X ray, looks at it - good news: no broken bone. Bad news: 2 pulled tendons that means you won't be able to walk without being in constant pain. So I'm going to put that leg in a cast for at least a week. So that was that. Took all of 30 minutes and I now have this ugly white solid leg along with an even uglier slipper to go under the cast to contend with.<br /><br /> Of course I try not to mention the pain. My theory: maybe if you ignore it long enough it might just go away :p but nah on a serious note, got a couple of strong pain killers to help me cope.<br /><br />The bright side: (there's always a bright side!) I can now seek attention. So far managed to get that already from my future boss :), from my friend Stephane who brought some books, AND a large supply of all sorts of chocolates. Then there is P Na who sends me meals everyday! Thank you! I will soon be fat from inactivity combined with too much food and chocolates :)Jyotihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347881228202202246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792650.post-35506937721951017572011-03-09T00:26:00.003+07:002011-03-09T01:05:10.293+07:00Women's rights, inspirations and good editinghow are these 3 items linked together my fans must be wondering<br /><br />there is no logical connection, but rather a reflection of the random thoughts that run through my head and my weird way of joining the dotted lines :)<br /><br />Today is international women's day. Sure, its not any different to another day, and we should all recognise the rights and appreciate what women contribute to society everyday, not just on some dedicated day once a year. But its a good occasion to highlight the achievements, the plight, the discrimination, the challenges that women face.<br /><br />There was a time when I used to write opinion pieces, and what became annual pieces looking at women's rights and the progress made. Every now and then we get asked who are the women / woman that inspire us. If I had to think of a 'celeb' woman that inspires me, I would say its <a href="http://www.realizingrights.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=75&Itemid=88">Mary Robinson.</a><br /><br />I once had the opportunity to listen to her deliver a speech at a conference, and had a brief exchange with her after her speech. She talked about property rights being a key factor in ensuring true empowerment, and fundamental to human rights. She shared her experience working with women in Africa on entrepreneurial initiatives, and how private property rights, or the lack thereof, affected the success of the efforts. At the time I was working on promoting economic freedom and human rights - two things I strongly believe in. Strangely enough, most that work on human rights issues seem to have a strong view against economic freedom. <br /><br />So having the biggest human rights advocate such as Mary Robinson tell an entire conference room how crucial it was that economic freedom is needed alongside human rights made me feel like I was no longer alone :) sounds dramatic perhaps, but that is truly how I felt - that the pleasant people around me would almost turn hostile when they read my business card that said "Regional Manager, Human Rights AND Economic Freedom'. Expressions changed when they saw/heard the latter part of my title :) <br /><br />Ms. Robinson put in much more eloquent terms what I had tried to persuade my fellow human rights advocates to listen to. I remember writing a piece on the issue, quoting Ms. Robinson in more precise terms. The article was edited, and the unfortunate part is that the exact quote from Ms. Robinson was removed. I wish I still have my original version, since my memory is not too good anymore. And the odds of having another chance to exchange a few words with Mary Robinson? sighhhh only wishful thinking :)Jyotihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347881228202202246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792650.post-19261526546664286302011-02-03T17:44:00.002+07:002011-02-04T14:45:03.361+07:00Violence in EgyptI know all of you have been reading and following the news on the protest against Mobarak's rule in Egypt in the past 10 days. I cant claim to have any knowledge or understanding of the situation, and have basically read and watched news in the media just like most have. Including this interview of my former colleague, Dr. Ronald Meinardus, who is now based in Cairo. <br />http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,14805222,00.html<br /><br />However, there is something more I want to share. It is not any indepth analysis of the situation. It may not have the same professional feel as the article written by Dr. Meinardus above, but it is an account given by a friend who lives in Alexandria. He disappeared off all channels of communication for a few days, and when he finally had mobile phone and internet access again, he sent us the following glimpse of what he observed/experienced:<br /><br /><blockquote>I lost some friends (they were shot by criminals).<br />I lost my work, the buildings was burned.<br />I lost my car (I saw somebody driving it on TV)<br /> <br />The story is very strange, the situation in Egypt is dramatically changing every 30 minutes. It is unpredictable.<br />Very important do not believe the media specially "El Jazirah" it is NOT neutral at all.<br /><br />Do not believe any party now, there are NO facts. only assumptions or unscientific conclusions.<br />I will tell you things that i witnessed myself (i am walking on the streets to collect information so i may understand what is happening):<br /><br />1- Most of the police stations were burned at the same time.<br />2- Many police men were inside the police stations when it was burned.<br />3- Many historical places were attacked at the same time.<br />4- Many museums were stolen at the same time.<br />5- Many prisons were attacked at the same time.<br />6- Most of the protesters who were in Tahrir square yesterday are<br />( Highly educated - High economic class - employed - some of them hold more than one nationality) this means that they are not representing the majority of the Egyptians who are - according to the UN, USA and Egyptian authorities- : more than 60% cannot read or write- 20% are unemployed - more than 50% under the poverty line)<br />7- the supporters of the president who stated their campaign today are tooooooooo many and most of them ( low education or no education - poor or low income - workers or farmers (majority of the Egyptian) -<br /><br />..... but what i see now makes me confused. i need more information to understand.</blockquote><br /><br />I am just glad to hear from him and to know that he is safe. I hope things stay relatively calm and no more innocents are hurt.Jyotihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347881228202202246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792650.post-70084427688574116042011-02-03T16:13:00.002+07:002011-02-03T17:44:35.518+07:00Floods and cyclones strikes QueenslandIt was not that long ago when I posted about my personal experience with flash flooding in Pattani. So when I heard about how parts of Queensland had been hit by floods, I could imagine the difficulties people there are going through. People had to leave homes and their properties, some got injured, others lost their lives. A truly painful experience. Dealing with the aftermath is far from an easy task too.<br /><br />The floods were so bad that even Brisbane CBD had to be evacuated. This is what it looked like after the floods: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8194723/instant-inland-tsunami-kills-four<br /><br />While the federal government together with state government is still trying to deal with re-building infrastructure and helping victims, there is already more bad news on the way.<br /><br />Around the weekend there had been warning of 2 possible cyclones likely to hit Queensland. On 1st Feb it hit northern Queensland, and I hear reports of wind velocity of about 200kms per hour. THAT would be one scary storm. When we had the floods in Pattani, with roofs of homes blown away, the wind was at about 50kms an hour. And I thought that was already scary, and was strong enough to almost blow me away. <br /><br />Here are some pics of what cyclone Yasi did to the region: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/slideshowajax/145074/the-aftermath-of-cyclone-yasi.slideshow<br /><br />The Federal Government had proposed a flood levy on all those earning more than $50,000 per year already when the floods stuck. I wonder how much they are going to try to raise in tax revenue to deal with the impact of the cyclone. DOnt get me wrong - Im not opposed to helping those who have been affected, or re-building infrastructure. I just believe the government need to have been more efficient with its budget management. Instead it sqaundered away the tax surplus and has now been running on a budget deficit. They then use a natural calamity as an opportunity to raise income tax - no matter what kind of levy you call it, it IS essentially a tax. <br /><br />Had some discussions on the matter with a friend via facebook exchange, might see if any of those points are worth repeating here. If so, will update this postJyotihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347881228202202246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792650.post-86063615585382867362010-11-20T22:05:00.004+07:002011-02-03T16:13:06.297+07:00Flash floods in Pattani, 1 Nov 2010I had so much to say but things got so busy dealing with the aftermath of the flooding that it has now become old news.<br /><br />However, I will try to recall the experience from the night. While it was not tsunami level ferocious flooding, it was still frightening enough for me. <br /><br />water levels rose quickly - from one minute seeing heavy rain, to the next seeing water had reached up to more than half the car tires, and the next you try opening the door and water was rushing into a high pick up truck. then you get out walking on the road and feel like you are being swept away, both by the winds AND the water. and so is your 6foot tall, big built brother. and when you stand still you almost start to freeze by how cold the water is.<br /><br />water receeded quick enough, but damage has already been caused. trees uprooted, building roofs blown away, damaged goods and furnitures. people rushing to stock up on food over the next few days. everyone trying to clean up, and at the same time move things to higher grounds, constructing dams around their houses, etc etc<br /><br />many other towns and cities around Thailand were affected by floods this year. Pattani was not the worse hit. However what got me peeved were a couple of things<br />1. absolutely no warning from the provincial administration. Hat Yai had their warning. People had time to make some attempt to safeguard their property and lives. Also, very likely the flood could have been mitigated if they had taken care of the drainage system and made preparations ahead of time. Couple of days AFTER the flooding, the provincial administration sent out teams to clean up canals around town. <br />2. In many places around the world, Thailand included, one often sees the military is mobilised to assist during natural disasters. I saw a lot on the news how the military helped people during and after such calamities, including places such as Hat Yai. Granted Hat Yai was worse affected than Pattani, but I have to say I was still surprised that I did not see any military personnel in Pattani during the disaster that struck in Pattani. Keep in mind that over the past 6 years, and the last 2 in particular, Pattani has had a large contingent of military personnel stationed here. Many camps all over town, including inside school grounds. But none to be seen after the floods. Well, until about 10 days later when the Prime Minister visited a village that was still flooded :)Jyotihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347881228202202246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792650.post-11838900764209565672010-10-24T19:50:00.003+07:002010-11-06T15:40:12.460+07:00being a tourist in Indonesiaafter the hectic days of working on the Freedom Festival Indonesia, I decided I have earned a break. So I took off and went on a bit of a (tiny) tour of Indonesia.<br /><br />Starting in the Batik town of Pekalongan, where Mom was able to buy a fair bit of batik in just a couple of days. We even managed to have a nice seafood lunch by the beach :)<br />(ohhh we took the train to get from Jakarta to Pekalongan. I think my expectations of Indonesian train might have been somewhat high.....but I kept hearing of how 'good' it is!)<br /><br />From Pekalongan, we travelled by road to Borobudur. We stayed at the famous Manohara Hotel, on the grounds of the temple. Full compliments to the hotel for their very high level service. I was recommended the hotel by Rainer. Read quite a few not so positive reviews on the internet. Glad I decided to ignore those reviews and took Rainer's advice. the place is a true delight. <br />Borobudur itself was nice enough. I wasnt 'wowed' by it though. The view from the top of the temple was great of course. <br /><br />From Borobudur, we hired a taxi to Yogyakarta. It is much bigger than I anticipated, with lots and lots of tourists. Marlioboro street reminded me of Khao Sarn Road. Just a longer strip. We did check out a lot of the batik shops - from the bigger ones to the smaller cheap style places. There was so many different styles, designs and a vast variety of colours. I resisted and didnt buy too much, except for some small pieces. Mom bought a bit more for samples. We also took the commuter train to Solo. Another batik-capital of Indonesia. didnt quite manage to go out to the smaller villages that make the batik. Running out of time. We decided to spend our last evening in Yogya at the Hindu temple, Prambanan. We were lucky enough to catch the outdoor Ramayana, classical ballet performance. Great performance, set against the background of the beautiful temple on the other side of the river bank. It helped that we know the story of Ramayana, and hence could follow the story of the performance. <br />[as an aside - many places I went to, they offered to give me student discounts for entry into sites. too bad I dont have a student card :) ]<br /><br />A short but sweet trip ended far too quickly. However, what followed was not as sweet. A couple days after we flew back to Jakarta, Mount Merapi, not far from Yogya, erupted. We infact considered going there one evening to observe the active volcano. Little did we imagine that only a couple of days later, it would have turned into a disaster zone, causing much destruction. <br /><br />PS. Speaking of disaster - there seems to be plenty these days. I started this post more than a week ago. Since then, I have left Indonesia, spent a day in Penang, catching up with my friend Nee, then made my way home to south Thailand. Only a couple of days later most of south Thailand, including my hometown, was hit with flash floods, causing lots of damage. I report about this in a separate post.Jyotihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347881228202202246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792650.post-55780661226611366272010-10-12T22:59:00.004+07:002010-10-24T19:50:17.815+07:00I have the Prime Minister's autographalright, not exactly. She was still Education Minister at the time, but between the time I received it and the time I post this blog, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Julia-Gillard/161674172327#!/pages/Julia-Gillard/161674172327?v=info">Julia Gillard</a> has since become Prime Minister of Australia. Sometime in May 2010, I was advised that my proposal for the Australian Government's Endeavour Executive Award had been successful. This notification was accompanied with a letter from the Education Minister, Ms. Gillard. About a month later, she became Australia's first female Prime Minister. (see my post on the elections below)<br /><br />So, yes, since August of this year, I have been on the Executive Endeavour Award, working to prepare for the conference 'Migration and the Wealth of Nations'. It has been a hectic 2 months. In fact hectic is almost an understatement, given that the conference evolved from a 2 and half day event into a series of training workshops, networking events, public policy discussions and book launches. I wrote a quick summary of the 'Freedom Festival Indonesia 2010' for the <a href="http://fnfasia.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1385:indonesia-freedom-festival&catid=3:latest-news">Friedrich Naumann website here.</a> <br /><br />The conference was the highlight of the 9-day long events. For the first time in EFN Asia history, we also attempted to produce a conference resolution that will be distributed and used in various channels in days and months to come. In addition to managing the conference, I was also part of the team that drafted the first version of the resolution - later discussed and modified by all delegates, and then accepted and passed by all. The drafting process was indeed challenging, but I had an amazing group of people that worked with me on it. <a href="http://th.linkedin.com/in/sebastiankwamebraun">Sebastian Braun</a>, <a href="http://id.linkedin.com/pub/david-henneberger/25/203/524">David Hennebeger</a>, <a href="http://www.isil.org/resources/fnn/2001june/news-barun-mitra-award.html">Barun Mitra</a>, Aan and Nirwan. <span style="font-style:italic;">[Towards the end I think I became a bit of a time-police - so in addition to working so hard, they also had to put up with my frantic way in the last 15 minutes or so :) ] </span>You can find the final version of <a href="http://efnasia.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=243&Itemid">the resolution</a> on the EFN Asia website. <br /><br />Lots of reports still to be written, but I thought I should make some attempt to update this blog. It has been neglected for quite sometime. I wanted to show off about my receiving the Australian government award, but by the time I manage to write about it, it is already almost over :)Jyotihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347881228202202246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792650.post-7992053226756358682010-08-21T16:35:00.003+07:002010-08-21T18:13:24.093+07:00Australia 2010 ElectionsI think I have lost the flair for writing about elections.....but I still have not lost the interest. This time its not the German elections but the Aussie one.<br /><br />Most experts are calling this the tightest race in Australian elections - with most pre-election and exit polls predicting results in the vicinity of 51% Labour vs 49% coalition (Liberals and Nationals). <br /><br />As of writing this post (early evening of 21st August 2010), the votes are still being counted. Labour has the lead at 65 seats. They need 76 seats to win. I personally dont understand all the fancy terms of such and such percentage swing so will leave that to the experts. The ABC website is probably one of the best live coverage. You can read all the latest on <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/elections/federal/2010/">their website</a>. <br /><br />You may also want to check out the <a href="http://australianpolitics.com/elections/">AustralianPolitics website</a> for info about the voting systems, particularly the <a href="http://australianpolitics.com/elections/primary/">primary votes</a> and the <a href="http://australianpolitics.com/elections/two-party/two-party-preferred.shtml">two-party preferred votes.</a> <br /><br />What I think I will comment about is the key election issues. Rightly so much of that is centred on the economy. Other issues are the mining company 'super tax' (a 40% tax on mining companies proposed by Labour), climate change, a national broadband network, immigration, and separately asylum seekers. The immigration issue I understand. Australia currently receives 300,000 migrants a year. For a country whose total population is 22 Million, that is a sizeable chunk and enough to scare people when they hear predictions like the number of population will increase to 36 Million by 2050. It has implications on demand on resources, and for big cities like Sydney and Melbourne (where the majority of new migrants end up at - yours truly included!) this comes at a price. Housing prices, including rental, particularly in Sydney is probably one of the highest in the world today! Sure, the majority of migrants to Australia arrive under the skilled migration category, supposedly to fill shortage in the workforce. However, from my time there I realised that majority of these skilled migrants end up in jobs far below their skill level. A lot of that is due to the English language capability (or lack thereof), but a large part is also due to employers wanting to hire people with experience in Australia! [How does a new migrant gain experience in-country if they are not given that first job to begin with?]<br />By the way, an interesting point to note: Julia Gillard is herself a migrant to Australia. She was born in Wales, and moved to Australia at the age of 4.<br /><br />Anyhow...I get somewhat sidetracked from the current election issue. Back to that. It is the last issue of asylum seekers that baffles me. Asylum seekers total a mere few thousands a year, and if and when they are admitted to the country, will hardly make a huge difference or add much pressure to the demand on resources of the country. Yet, the sensationalisation of the issue in the media over the years has made this become one of the top election issue. I certainly dont have an answer as to the best way to deal with asylum seekers, but does it really deserve all the negative publicity it gets? and the fear-mongering the media has induced into the population? and more importantly, is it really an issue of big impact to the Australian people? <br /><br />It is ironic and a contradiction for me to observe the same compassionate Australians who are known for their volunteerism spirit, open-mindedness and friendly nature take such a strong uncompromising stand against these asylum seekers. It also reminds me of how powerful the media can be, and how much it can influence our perspectives.Jyotihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347881228202202246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792650.post-46345477993958865392010-08-13T19:59:00.003+07:002010-08-13T20:09:06.706+07:00A(n) (almost) perfect send offIn the midst of two week non-stop days and nights of rain, I was about to have to pack up and move all my stuff (junk!) into storage. So of course I was ohh so thankful that on that particular Saturday morning, the Metereological department were wrong about their forecast of rain all day, and the powers that be decided to let the sun come out. It felt more like a lovely warm spring day, rather than the rainy winter day. Sydney giving me a nice send-off perhaps? :)<br /><br />Got all the stuff nicely dropped off - thanks Tam's for agreeing to look after my junk, Kelly for helping me pack up my mattress, JP for lifting boxes after boxes, doing trips up and down the stairs, despite the hangover, and Yasir and Sunayna for cleaning up the mess I had left behind in the living room! <br /><br />and of course, Dave for giving me a bed to stay for the night, AND agreeing to take me to the airport at such early hour on a Sunday morning! he even provided: chocolates for pre-dinner snacks, a pizza and pasta dinner, AND football! didnt quite manage to wait up for the Arsenal pre-season friendly though, but despite that....a great evening! what more could a girl ask for? <br />ermm a <span style="font-weight:bold;">Dennis Bergkhamp testimonial scarf, apparently :p</span>Jyotihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347881228202202246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792650.post-30348814898943955102010-07-11T22:25:00.003+07:002010-07-11T22:36:33.437+07:00Holland's (and my) road to the FIFA 2010 Final<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eddliZWH0kg/TDnkv1kdiwI/AAAAAAAAAJg/9bXIV4aYRX4/s1600/RIMG0052.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eddliZWH0kg/TDnkv1kdiwI/AAAAAAAAAJg/9bXIV4aYRX4/s320/RIMG0052.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492672731040025346" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eddliZWH0kg/TDnkvZ1N-gI/AAAAAAAAAJY/w_urYncsjWM/s1600/RIMG0039.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eddliZWH0kg/TDnkvZ1N-gI/AAAAAAAAAJY/w_urYncsjWM/s320/RIMG0039.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492672723594115586" /></a><br />Ive watched every of the Holland game, some in the warmth and comfort of my bed (the 4.30am games), some in the midst of other Dutch fans (the first game against Denmark), and one even in the outdoor FIFA Fan Fest in the cold rainy Sydney night! While they have won every game, I have to admit that Ive always worried how they will do, particularly in the Semi Final against Brazil! <br /><br />Somehow the Oranje made it through......and now comes the big night. The Final against Spain, who beat Germany in the Semi final. And what a game that was, the Spaniards look really strong. All I can do now is keep my fingers crossed, put on my Oranje shirt, even put the other Oranje shirt on the panda bear sitting in my room (pics to follow!)<br /><br />There is all this talk about Paul the octopus and his prediction. I thought I was the only one who needed to resort to voodoo...but seems the whole world has gone mad over this octopus. Some are ofcourse adding a lot of octopus dishes to their meal :)<br /><br />Anyhow, Hup Holland Hup!!Jyotihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347881228202202246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792650.post-23840002515346492522010-07-03T00:59:00.002+07:002010-07-03T01:04:06.455+07:00a birthday gift from the Dutch boys!Danes no match for the Dutch, according to report on the FIFA website :p (as per link above)<br /><br />I went out to join hundreds of Dutch fans, and the Oranje did not disappoint, giving me an early birthday gift just on the verge of midnight. <br /><br />See pics:<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Also, a big thank you to all my friends for the lovely messages sent via facebook, sms. Only complaint is: no emails? no postcards? no phonecalls either? awwwww<br /><br />Hey, what can I say......Im am old woman (getting older by the day!) and I like my old-fashioned, traditional, conventional ways :pJyotihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347881228202202246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792650.post-7369638040422662162010-06-13T14:39:00.003+07:002010-07-22T19:35:56.028+07:00FIFA World Cup 2010 ...my sleepless days beginSo the World Cup kicked off on June 11th, and no Im not going to attempt to compete with the millions of sites already reporting the news, the latest result or the predictions. What I will endeavour to do is share snippets of my own experience, interesting or otherwise :)<br /><br />First game: South Africa vs Mexico. Even without really caring either way for any of the teams (sorry to my Mexican and South African friends) - I did, however, head out into the cold cold Sydney night (forcast said 10 degrees, but my bodythermometre tells me it was closer to 6 degrees celsius!) and watched it at Darling Harbour at midnight! yes thats right, 6 degrees at MIDNIGHT!! for teams I dont really care too much about. The things I do in the name of football huh??<br /><br />Second game: South Korea vs Greece. I get a call from S [an aside: at the time I had no idea who S is!!] turns out Sam is a friend of another friend, who has been tricked into going to watch the game at the Enmore Theatre. So he called me to ask for back-up support. An explainer maybe needed here: S is Korean. Anyway......you may still wonder why the back up? The Enmore Theatre is home to Australia's large Greek population!! <br /><br />We walk in, a girl friend with her red coat and red scarf - head right to the front of the theatre, where S proceeds to stand up in front of the crowd, and waves around his red scarf :p nice move. I do the same when the South Koreans scored. When it became 2 nil up, I said to my friend, "Im grabbing that Greece flag from the stage on my way out. Thats gonna be our safety ticket out of here" :p<br />[ I do have to add that - despite all the boo-ings we received, they were a great crowd, and most of the time they were abusing their own team :p ] Sorry Kat and Vicki and all my other Greek friends - I know Im a bit of a traitor. <br /><br />Reminded me of sitting in front of the big screen in a Gummersbach conference room with Natie, Lara and Enikoe - 2 Argentinians a Hungarian and a Thai making the maximum noise in our white and blue flags and shirts, while a crowd of Germans hover behind us! <br /><br />Watched bits and pieces of the next: Argentina vs Nigeria game, and totally missed the ENgland vs USA game. I will have to make a bit more effort on the foregoing sleep, but then again I understand I didnt miss much on the England game :P<br /><br />Can NOT miss the Australia vs Germany game tomorrow morning though. 4.30am.......oh what joy that is going to be staying awake for, not to mention the conflict of interest. (Ive got my Green and Gold flag ready, but also found my Black Red and Yellow wrist band!)Jyotihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347881228202202246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792650.post-62313011051713973792010-06-12T10:42:00.003+07:002010-06-12T11:29:26.983+07:00While I was sleeping....On May 31st Israeli commandos raided a ship carrying aid destined for Gaza in international waters. Nine killed. Details on various news site: <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64T21820100531">Reuters</a>, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/01/world/middleeast/01flotilla.html?hp">New York Times<br /></a><br />With my inexplicably strong empathy and allegience to the Jewish people, I have always mostly been a supporter of Israel, but with this latest incident, I find my support more than wavering. <br /><br />Archie Comics introduced a new character - gay Kevin Keller! (I didnt even realise they still have Archie Comics. Well, it is just one of those things that you stop paying attention to, and you assume it ceased to exist? Used to read them in my teen years - absolutely loved it! <br /><a href="http://www.archiecomics.com/blog/news/2010/04/archie-comics-introduces-first-openly-gay-character.html">From the Archie Comics website:</a><br /><br /><blockquote>On September 1st, Kevin Keller, Archie Comics' first openly gay character, will be welcomed into the town of Riverdale.<br /><br />"The introduction of Kevin is just about keeping the world of Archie Comics current and inclusive. Archie's hometown of Riverdale has always been a safe world for everyone. It just makes sense to have an openly gay character in Archie comic books," stated Archie Comics Co- CEO, Jon Goldwater.<br /></blockquote><br />Good on them :)<br /><br />And finally, cant exactly claim this happened while I was sleeping, on the contrary, while I was wide awake (and likely to be going without sleep for most of it): the <a href="http://www.fifa.com/index.html">FIFA World Cup 2010</a> kicked off on June 11th! Of course this event will get its own separate post(s) in ensuing days :) My Oranje shirt is ready....but I now realise what I should have bought is Oranje scarves and jackets! given how cold it is in Sydney these days.Jyotihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347881228202202246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792650.post-64671348800456019742010-05-19T19:32:00.004+07:002010-06-05T15:56:03.863+07:00Bangkok today<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eddliZWH0kg/S_Pb27_mx3I/AAAAAAAAAJQ/kEWpsa47N74/s1600/bkk+5.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eddliZWH0kg/S_Pb27_mx3I/AAAAAAAAAJQ/kEWpsa47N74/s320/bkk+5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472959709049177970" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eddliZWH0kg/S_Pb2lPwDQI/AAAAAAAAAJI/cmajHVUrtSs/s1600/bkk+4.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eddliZWH0kg/S_Pb2lPwDQI/AAAAAAAAAJI/cmajHVUrtSs/s320/bkk+4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472959702942878978" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eddliZWH0kg/S_Pb2TD2FSI/AAAAAAAAAJA/bWOlsHyYsmc/s1600/bkk+3.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eddliZWH0kg/S_Pb2TD2FSI/AAAAAAAAAJA/bWOlsHyYsmc/s320/bkk+3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472959698061104418" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eddliZWH0kg/S_Pb2ARTAnI/AAAAAAAAAI4/M6a3BfjLLv8/s1600/bkk+2.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eddliZWH0kg/S_Pb2ARTAnI/AAAAAAAAAI4/M6a3BfjLLv8/s320/bkk+2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472959693017252466" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eddliZWH0kg/S_Pb1v0cRfI/AAAAAAAAAIw/E7TCgutg-TY/s1600/Bkk+1.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 211px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eddliZWH0kg/S_Pb1v0cRfI/AAAAAAAAAIw/E7TCgutg-TY/s320/Bkk+1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472959688601257458" /></a><br />Photos courtesy of my sister in law, who still had to go in to work this morning!Jyotihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347881228202202246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792650.post-79634891848450607462010-05-19T18:18:00.005+07:002010-05-19T20:08:54.800+07:00Bangkok on fire...literally :(When I wrote my previous post with its title 'While Bangkok burns' little did I even think that the title used would become the literal state of Bangkok a day later. <br /><br />As of this morning 19 May 2010, the army has moved in to the protest site with armoured vehicles, firing live shots at some protesters stationed near the make-shift barricade they created using sharpened bamboo sticks and tyres. The operation started at dawn this morning, and by early afternoon the protest leaders had called for protesters to disperse and they turned themselves in. By that time, another 5 people had been killed, including an Italian journalist, and several more wounded. <br /><br />I have spent the entire afternoon/evening glued in front of the TV switching between CNN and BBC, while simultaneously reading up on news from various online sources and calling up friends and family in Thailand to get the latest updates. To say it was an eventful day in Bangkok and other parts of Thailand would be an understatement. <br /><br />While the protest is now officially over and the government claims things are under control, the situation has actually got to its worse - with fires being set on various public buildings across town in Bangkok and a few other provincial towns. <br /><br />What many feared about things getting out of hand is exactly what has happened. (Keep in mind also my earlier <a href="http://mschocaholic.blogspot.com/2010_04_01_archive.html">warning about things being taken underground</a> - expect sporadic violence around town in ensuing weeks or even months). While the protest leaders have turned themselves in and asked protesters to go home, a number of them continue to defy authorities and have escalated the level of violence. It has now reached a state of anarchy, and the governments alleged roadmap to reconciliation seems unlikely to offer disgruntled groups any assurances. It will be an interesting next few months for Thailand, and I fear, not in the positive way.<br /><br />For those interested to find out more on the background of what led to these protests, have a read at this <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/asia_pacific/10124847.stm">summary compiled by the BBC</a>. A simplified quick overview version ofcourse, where many other details are not discussed. Another background summary is available via <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/05/17/thailand.crisis.explainer/index.html">the CNN site</a> and also <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/id/238161">this article from Newsweek</a>Jyotihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347881228202202246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792650.post-53484433098546263482010-05-17T21:51:00.002+07:002010-05-17T22:11:12.707+07:00While Bangkok burns......I have had a mishap of my own in the last 10 days. Cant blame anyone but my own clumsiness though. <br /><br />I tripped and fell over, hitting the ground first with my knees, then unfortunately with my face. Broke a front tooth, and sustained a deep cut on my lower lip. and YES it was VERY painful. (in fact I now watch all those action and fight scenes with a renewed empathy - as I can imagine how painful it must be!) Things must have happened quickly, but in my head it felt like each step of the fall happened in slow motion.....a very odd feeling. <br /><br />People from the workshop rushed out to help me. While slowly lifting my face up, I felt something inside my mouth...and right away I knew....simultaneously I asked the good samaritans - "Did I break my tooth?" Just as I opened my mouth to phrase the question, I had my answer. Blood streamed out of my mouth, and in front of me I see my broken tooth! A very haunting image I tell you! My next thought was - Im going to look very ugly now. yes yes I know very vain, but hey it proves Im still a woman? :p<br /><br />The people in the workshop took me into their office and let me use the washroom to rinse out my mouth. It was then that I looked in the mirror, and was even more frightened by what I saw. After resting for a bit, I made a couple of calls. Rebecca, my volunteer work coordinator, whom I hadnt even met, rushed over immediately and drove me to the clinic. Tony then arrived and waited with me while the doctor tried to clean the wound, wrote me a couple of referrals for emergency services at RPA and a dentist. The referral to RPA scared me even more! The thought of your lip being pulled opened, given a thorough clean to remove dirt and whatever else, and then stitched back together? Fortunately, it didnt come to that. Just some other (equally?) painful cleaning procedure. Local anaesthetic, which could only be achieved through 3 injections directly into the already swollen and painful lip. OUCH! And another shot of anti biotic into the lip. another OUCH.<br /><br />the bright side? <br />The doctor was cute. Either that or I was so delirious from the pain. <br />I had Angelina Jolie lips for a week, without botox?<br />The most naturally crimson red lips without any lipstick?<br />Some TLC from my friends - Tony, Vivek, P Elle and Rory. THANK YOU!<br /><br />The half broken tooth was fixed on the day itself. More painful stuff. And it doesnt end there. Have to go back in 6 weeks to check if the nerves survived. If not, then a root canal to pull out dead nerves. arghhhhhhh. For now, I have this tooth that pokes out slightly, and has a tiny gap between it and the next one. When questioned the doctor, answer was "I cant be perfect." ermmmmmm, excuse me dentist, for the prices you charge us, even if you arent perfect we expect you to not admit it!!<br /><br />By the way...friends that read this blog, please do not worry. Everything is back to almost normal now. Swelling is all gone and I am back on normal food, instead of liquids through a straw (biggest torture was - having lots of food in front of you, but cant eat any. including no chocolates for many days!! Imagine the horror?)<br /><br />Ohhhh, <br />I wasnt running<br />I wasnt in high heels<br />and I certainly was not drunk :pJyotihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347881228202202246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792650.post-72767857244509543532010-04-22T00:19:00.002+07:002010-04-22T00:24:35.097+07:00Some food for thought for Bangkokians....As said, I have been seeing so much from Bangkokians vehemently calling on he government, the military and the police to use live ammunition to disperse the red shirt protesters. I seriously hope they are not serious. Yet despite what we may call and I now borrow a word I have seen so much on the internet and I use it for the first time, because it really is the most apt in this situation - while these calls for crack down are what I would assume to be "internet warriors" - ie. I dont believe anyone calling for violence would themselves dare to pull the trigger - yet creating such sentiment would pressure the military into going down the violent path, but most importantly they will feel like its justified. Which of course isnt the case! No Matter how much they may have disrupted the economy by closing down roads. <br /><br />proposing violent means is certainly far from a solution.<br />a likely scenario - if Bangkokians continue to let military feel they are entitled to use firearms with live ammunition to disperse the crowd (regardless of how much it is disrupting the economy) - sure the red shirts will be dispersed. their weapons and numbers are no match to those of the army! (remember sharpened bamboo sticks vs machine guns?)<br />but what is that going to do? we risk alienating the people, and they will take their fight underground. where they are a less obvious target, and the officials become sitting ducks. a case in point - the situation in South Thailand. all started with discontentment that was never addressed. and look where we are now? can we afford that happening in Isaan too?<br />some food for thought for anyone who has been suggesting shooting the red shirts down.......Jyotihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347881228202202246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792650.post-51696988710576897622010-04-21T10:01:00.000+07:002010-04-21T10:02:04.148+07:00Whats to become of Thailand?whats to become of Thailand :(<br />soldiers armed with machine guns, ready to disperse the crowd. protesters set up barricades made of bamboo, and carrying weapons made of sharpened bamboo sticks....<br />thousands sitting on Rajprasong road, at the mercy of whatever plays out.......<br />a truly sad time for Thailand. an occasion that I openly admit to bringing tears to my eyes........Jyotihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347881228202202246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792650.post-36891195930857515502010-04-20T19:34:00.001+07:002010-04-20T20:17:22.270+07:00More violence on the horizon for Bangkok?initially the army proposed 7 steps before using live ammunition - yet more than 20 people were killed (ofcourse the 7 steps were never followed). Now they are talking about a 4 step strategy before getting to live ammunition....and have the audacity to suggest there will be lower casualties? good logic!<br />BBC News - Thai army 'ready to use live fire against red-shirts'<br />news.bbc.co.uk<br />The Thai army has made explicit its determination to use live ammunition against "red-shirt" anti-government protesters in certain circumstances.<br /><br />ie. good logic if they think people are stupid enough to believe that....<br /><br />but what makes me more mad is the stand a lot of Bangkokian people have taken. suggesting that it is ok to kill the red shirt demonstrators because they have disrupted the economy. Regardless of the damage done to the economy, how can anyone suggest killing others? <br /><br />when the yellows closed airport, or shot at motorcycle guys across the road - i was far from happy, but i would not advocate killing them. <br />This attitude of if we arent happy with them then their lives mean nothing will not help<br />especially coming from the supposedly educated group. <br /><br />I ask this again - where is the compassion gone? where is the usual kind Thai? And I will not accept that line of the reds have gone too far and there is no other way to deal with them. There has got to be a less violent way to resolve the situation.Jyotihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347881228202202246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792650.post-13230283681424980382010-04-14T21:49:00.003+07:002010-04-14T22:06:54.370+07:00My political standingI am certainly not a believer in constitution changes through bullying tactics<br />but in my opinion today's problems and the red protests (regardless of how much we may disagree with the way it has gone about) is directly linked back to the changes made since the 2006 coup and the precedent set by the Yellow shirt protests of that year.<br /><br />I questioned a lot of Bangkokians at the time as to the legitimacy in them supporting the yellow shirts. Their answer was always: "anything to get rid of Thaksin. He has manipulated the democratic mechanisms to the point where we cannot leave it to democratic processes to remove him"<br />I completely disagreed, and to this day still strongly felt that democratic forces were slowly working against Thaksin at the time. (Bangkokians who absolutely adored him for his business acumen had turned against him due to the Shin sales and the tax issue). Elections had been called - but the Democrats boycotted it citing not enough time to campaign? <br /><br />The election commission had just been replaced, with the new ones very likely to work against him. But what happens? A coup takes place. And they tear up the constitution that had had the maximum people input in Thai history. Was it perfect? Im sure no, but still better than the one put in place by the military.<br /><br />I remember Abhisit at the time coaxed people into voting for new constitution in the referendum, saying to accept it just so elections can be held. A clear misrepresentation of facts. Elections could have been held without the new constitution. On the other hand, there was also the scaremonger that if the newly drafted constitution does not pass the referendum, then the military could simply pick any of Thailand's past constitution and put that in place. (which means they could have picked the least democratic one from even the 1930s!!) So through whatever means, the new constitution is replaced, with the military happily claiming that it was democratic because it passed referendum. People seem to happily ignore or forget? how the nation was manipulated to vote yes. <br /><br />Anyhow, so its done. A lot of changes in government over the past 3 to 4 years due to whatever means - I dont think we need to discuss that again, has been done millions of times - finally the Democrats are in power. And did they make any effort to make changes to make the constitution more democratic in their time in power?<br /><br />On another note more closer to my heart - while Thaksin was in power, a report on the problem in South Thailand had been commissioned. Recommendations were available towards the end of his term (I think?), the government particularly Thaksin was accused of paying no attention. Democrats as opposition were most critical of the government.<br /><br />One reason cited by the coup makers was so that they can address the problems of south Thailand. Yet nothing was done during the military rule. Now with the Democrats in power and in a position to implement some of the recommendations proposed in the report - yet no such attempts have been made to address any of the problems. For instance, some are simple and non controversial such as including the local dialect Yawi as the second official language for the 3 southern provinces. This strategy would be mostly symbolic and unlikely to have any detrimental affect on administering the country as one unified nation. Yet I have heard nothing of it being considered? I read things like <span style="font-style:italic;">60% of the problems in the south has eased</span>, <a href="http://thailand.prd.go.th/southern_situation/view_south.php?id=4864">from the government's public relations department,</a> but I do not see that on the grounds. People in the local community certainly dont feel that way, and each day feel more and more disoriented from the rest of the country. <br /><br />People may say Thailand has many issues the government needs to address - education, economy, etc etc - but I see these as on-going long term projects, while the situation in the south and those of constitution related are more immediate and need to be addressed before they escalate. Cos the minute they escalate, everything else will be put on hold (as has happened now with all the protests since last year for example).<br /><br />Some think Im a supporter of Thaksin, or a supporter of the Reds. In reality, Im more of an onlooker disappointed with the Democrats.Jyotihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347881228202202246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792650.post-72456204228590042672010-04-10T19:03:00.004+07:002010-04-11T00:55:29.904+07:00Bangkok turns violentYet again violence erupts in Bangkok. Im monitoring news through so many different channels, unable to sleep or rest. CNN, BBC on TV and the net, livestream of the redshirt movements from their stage, Thai media channels, emails from journalist friends. Footage on Thai TV. None of it is good news. As of now....about 10pm - at least 7 dead, with more than 300 injured. And its all happening only less than 500 metres from my house! I feel like its 1992 all over again. A Reuters journalist was amongst one of those killed. The news agency is calling it <a href="http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCATRE6391OO20100410">'Bangkok's worst political violence in 18 years.'</a><br /><br />There is so much I want to say, but most of it is just sadness and condolences for those who died, those who got injured. Of course there are also many things I want to express on a political level, but nothing I havent been saying since the protests started by Sondhi Limthongkul in 2006, and the ensuing military coup. Back then I heard a lot of Bangkokians, including my democracy-promoting colleagues, say that sometimes anything is justified to achieve a certain result-ie. getting rid of Thaksin and the evilness that they see he has brought to Thailand. My response was simple: if you let this mob drive out an elected prime minister today, what is to stop them trying to chase out the next one if they arent happy with the next one too? or what guarantee do we have that a different crowd might not form to chase out whoever is the next Prime Minister? The answer I received then was - 'but you dont understand! Thaksin is so evil. He has controlled and manipulated the democratic processes, so it is necessary to resort to undemocratic mean to get rid of him'<br /><br />And look where we are now? Four years of political unrest, the country not being managed by any government because they have to spend their time either dodging crowds, being airlifted from parliamentary meetings, Prime Minister having to move to live within army compounds, Foreign Minister having to spend a lot of time tracking one person around the world? And constant protests from Yellows, to Reds, to Blues and the latest Pink colours. And a cycle of violent clashes - now almost an annual event. <br /><br />Do I have answers? Of course I dont. Do I support all these protests? Certainly not. Yet at the same time, if we are to preach so much about equality, then I say that those that were tolerant to the Yellow protests should be as tolerant to the Red protests - regardless of your political standpoint. <br /><br />Who do I blame? ANyone and everyone who argued that it was ok to adopt undemocratic means and that the end of removing Thaksin would justify the means to achieving it. Another sad day. I had hoped that the 1992 violence would have been the last Thailand has to face. Unfortunately not so.Jyotihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347881228202202246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792650.post-29736334071769939982010-04-04T00:53:00.002+07:002010-04-04T01:21:37.432+07:00In the midst of red shirt protestersI did have some friends question me before I left Sydney whether the timing of my trip back home had anything to do with joining the protests! As coincidences would have it - without intending to, I somehow ended up right in the midst of the red shirt protesters this afternoon. (and yes it really was unplanned, and yes I realise there have been a couple of coincidences in my life lately.....)<br /><br />Anyhow....seeing as I got to near Phetburi road, corner of Rajdamri road, just around the same time as the red shirts were arriving from Phetburi Road, and my taxi driver dumped me right in the middle and took a quick U-turn....I didnt have much of a choice but to walk, and no other direction to go except where the crowd was moving to. I got to the car park exit of Central World, asked the guards if I could walk at the pavement in front of the Mall, but there was a polite no. (at this point, the crowd at my end wasnt too big, but there was already a bigger crowd occupying the other half of Rajdamri street, and also Rama I Road).<br /><br />So back to the main street it was, with the crowds fast becoming bigger. I ended up walking on the road, hoping to be able to walk at a faster pace and get out of there quickly. Not the smartest move clearly, as I somehow ended up right in the midst of the crowd. Not that they were scary - the spirit was very relaxed and friendly, people talking, some had music on, some danced, others took photos, a bit of food was being distributed - they even went out of their way to make sure I got one of those nice sticky rice in bamboo stick. I took a few photos, and one of the red shirts then walked ahead of me, turned round and took a pic of me! What could I do except give him a big smile.....<br /><br />Took another big effort of maneuvering before I could get to the Rajprasong junction (corner Rajdamri and Rama I) - there were motorbikes parked and the people standing close to the bikes somehow seemed reluctant to give way. Eventually reached the corner, where I could get back on to the footpath, turned right on to Rama I where there were numerous pick up trucks parked blocking the entire road, with more crowds. Saw a couple of farangs with prams head in the direction I had just come from. I tried to explain them its not such a great idea to head that way - nothing to do with violence or lack thereof, but taking prams into such a crowded area?? <br /><br />All this in the midst of screeching hot Bangkok 39 or 40 degrees heat!! <br /><br />By the time I made it to my destination of Siam Paragon, everyone had been asked to vacate the Mall! Somehow I managed to go inside for a couple of minutes, spoke to P Sun on the phone, and figured out she was waiting across the road on the Siam Square side. Only took me another 5 minutes to walk across the BTS bridge, and only a couple more minutes to choose one of the restaurants still open in Siam Square for my lunch :)<br /><br />(I did say I love my food! Now you all can not doubt the things I would do for food :P )<br /><br />Pics to follow in next post......Jyotihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347881228202202246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792650.post-69141130918714432642010-03-29T16:55:00.002+07:002010-03-29T17:08:23.737+07:00Bangkok....kinda 'home' yet not quiteIts hard to say Ive come home. Bangkok is the city I know best, yet Im somewhat of a stranger to my own town now. Not that much of the city has changed, perhaps some restaurants and bars have changed names, and Im no longer the expert on the most in trend places to eat at :) but in general things are pretty much the same.<br /><br />More expensive certainly. Property prices has gone up by twofold in about less than 2 years. Eating out at proper restaurants easily costs as much as eating out in Sydney. The fancy places are of course still somewhat cheaper. Speaking of fancy - thanks to my favorite Italian Luca who took me back to <a href="http://www.fourseasons.com/bangkok/dining/biscotti.html">Biscotti </a>for a lovely Italian lunch<br /><br />and while we are on the subject of food, here is what Ive gotten up to so far: <br />Irish pub with Martin<br />Thai food at Kalapapruek with the Aucky girls<br />Western meal (lamb steak, salmon etc) with Mom<br />Chinese meal with P Kai<br />ohhh and an Indian wedding with: lotttttttts of fresh Sashimi, Dim Sums, and a touch of Indian, and lotssssssss of desserts! (gotta love Indian weddings!!)<br />Vietnamese is on the agenda......<br /><br />ofcourse my life is still filled with food plans. Ive been told by my farang friends that their experience of Thai people is that we are always thinking, planning and eating food :) I think they may be on to something :)<br /><br />by the way...I even managed a walk on the Rajdamnoen avenue that has been closed due to the government wanting to keep protesters out of the area.....more on that when I get to proper internet access perhapsJyotihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347881228202202246noreply@blogger.com0