The Dancing Dudes Commercial

This is my very favourite commercial in Thailand. It plays on the skytrain regularly now and I can't help but get pumped up when I see it. You'll be happy you watched it. Only 31 seconds.

Alone in Vientiane, April 2009

I was in Vientiane, Laos april 6th through 9th. I took a plane from Bangkok to Udon Thani (in Thailand) and then a 1hr bus to the border at Nongkhai (200THB), another bus (10 minutes) over the friendship bridge (20THB), and a minivan taxi into Vientiane (300THB split between two people).
I was there to get a non-immigrant B visa at the Thai Consulate, but apart from the 8 or so hours I spent waiting around there filling out a form or two and waiting for various numbers to be called, I got to spend most of my time in the Laotian capital studying Lao/Laotian and practicing it with whomever was around. It's really a short step over to Lao if you can speak a little Thai, so it was a sharp and fun learning curve for those few days. Now I'm back to Thailand. The video is pretty self-explanatory. Vientiane is a lovely town and - as you'll know if you've ever been there - really really quiet for a national capital. It's a great place to hang out, eat good food and learn Laotian. And really, what more could you want in a vacation*?

*Nothing, that's what.

A Songkran Message

I just got back from Songkran festivities. Happy Thai new year, everybody.

Bangkok Songkran and protests + a song

This is a relevant cross-post from my Rise Up Singing project blog.
First I talk about Songkran (Thai New Year's) and the state of emergency in Bangkok, then I play Amazing Grace. (Song begins at 2:37)

Words by John Newton (1725 - 1807); melody, traditional (appears in "Virginia Harmony")
Rise Up Singing chapter: Gospel, p.92
D - G D / - - A - / D D7 G D / Bm A G D
or the way I play it:
D - G D / - - A - / D D7 G D / D A G D

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
(That saved a soul like me)
I once was lost and now am found
Was blind but now I see

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed

The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures

Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come
'Tis grace that's brought me safe thus far
And grace will lead me home

When we've been here ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we first begun

Allelujah (3x) Praise God (repeat)
(I didn't sing this verse)

Amazing grace has set me free
To touch, to taste, to feel
The wonders of accepting Love
Have made me whole and real

State of Emergency in Bangkok

No picture today, because all the pictures you'd need are on the international news. A state of emergency has been declared here in Bangkok. There's a curfew, but apparently the curfew is more of a strong suggestion that one stay home tonight, rather than a warning that you can be arrested or shot just for walking the streets. Given that, I'm still going over to my friends' apartment at Nana, since they say there's nothing at all unusual going on outside in their neighborhood. Apparently Siam and Victory Monument are sites to stay away from tonight, though. I heard there are tanks out there, although you shouldn't believe it just because I heard it.

The state of emergency, if you're confused, is due to the escalation of the UDD (red shirts) protests in Pattaya, and here in Bangkok. Pattaya, 2 hours from here, was the site of the 14th ASEAN summit, until it was "postponed indefinitely" because of the red shirt anti-government protests.

Anyway, I'm fine. Have a good evening.

More Protests! And the Day off Work to Boot

I've been in Laos for 4 days, but more about that later. What's more interesting is that when I got BACK from Laos into Bangkok last night the anti-government protests had escalated and Sukhumwit Road was blocked by "red-shirts"* right in front of my apartment. They were friendly - I walked right through - and it didn't feel dangerous or uncomfortable, but it did help me understand why it had taken the van I was in twice the normal time coming from the airport. Sukhumwit (Sukhumvit) Road is the major thoroughfare of Bangkok, so blocking it is a big deal, although given the traffic conditions in Bangkok (especially on Sukhumwit) on a normal day, one might be tempted to say it wouldn't make much of a difference. Here's a pretty boring video.

They're just hanging around, cheering, being spoken to through a bullhorn, and generally being peacefully disobedient to the public order. I could hear them from up on my 9th-floor balcony too. I'm not sure if they're still out there this morning, but my boss called at 9am and said not to bother coming into work, so I guess wherever they are, they're still doing a pretty good job of disrupting things. Apparently the prime minister has actually called an official holiday today, too, to ease the situation. On the one hand, even more protests are bad for the economy (particularly tourism) but on the other hand, I do kind of feel like it's the red shirts' turn, to be fair. They oppose the "yellow shirts", who shut down the airports for a long time in November and December. Now the party supported by (though not directly affiliated with) the yellow shirts is in power, and naturally the red shirts want to make their own disapproval known. Shutting down the city is an unfortunate way to do that, but it's true that the yellow shirts set the precedent. To sum up: I have the day off work. Yay!

*The red shirts are more properly known as members of the U.D.D.: "United front for Democracy against Dictatorship". The yellow shirts are members of the P.A.D.