Greg to Differ

I’ll be the first to admit that I usually like children like I like a piece of plastic sitting on a table: quiet and not bothering me. But even a grumpy old fuddy-duddy like me occasionally enjoys the company of children and the unabashed evil innocence they display. With the knowledge that I – gasp! – may even have one myself one day, I’ve tried to soften up a bit as I lurch toward old(er) age. But when I saw this poor kid sitting in the 7-11, I didn’t really know what to think. Pre-pubescent masochist? Victim of bullies? Or just one really bad babysitter? You decide.

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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. Keep Reading…

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. Keep Reading…

Momma always said that it’s very easy to get in what she called a ‘comfortable rut’, and she was right. After a while in any job/location/relationship/yoga position, you get comfortable; staying where you’re at is easier than moving on, and consequently, a lot of people never bother to change their situation. A drastic shakeup is usually not necessary, but a quick metaphorical head-shake is usually a great idea. That’s why as an expat, despite the fact you already live in an exotic land, it’s important to get out of Dodge every once in a while and get your compass realigned. Keep Reading…

Well, it finally happened. I apparently didn’t upgrade to the latest version of Wordpress within four minutes of it being released, and consequently, my dear website/blog/e-rant was infected with some type of worm. It will be a few days until I post again while I clean things out. Thanks for dropping by. Stupid worms.

There are always tons of stereotypes for any situation/person/country, and even the best of us can’t help but fall victim sometimes. Indeed, I’d be a lot more nervous going on Jeopardy! if I was up against an Asian kid with glasses than I would against an unshaven dude from Alabama wearing a wifebeater. (Let’s be honest, I’d probably lose to both). But in a country like Thailand, where political correctness has yet to take hold make an appearance, stereotypes are everywhere, and most have to do with ‘the sexpat’. Often times, they’re true, other times, they’re anything but. I know, because I’m (thankfully) a freak when it comes to many of the stereotypes in Thailand. Keep Reading…

Keeping on top of Thailand’s ever-changing visa and work permit regulations can be a pretty tiring job. Rules often vary from office to office and border crossing to border crossing, and updates, amendments and changes to the rules and overall system are hard enough to find in Thai, let alone English. Thankfully, there’s a small army of dedicated locals who like to post no-bull advice on their experiences, and this is the gist of this post – a visit to the One Stop Immigration office at their new location on Rama IV Road. Keep Reading…

(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. Keep Reading…

Thai food is, after Indian food, my all-time favorite cuisine in the world. Many people would call me crazy for even saying that, as Thai food is usually seen as the end-all, be-all food in terms of sheer taste bud-exploding goodness. Fair enough. But there is one thing that Thais have not yet nailed, and that’s their desserts. Oh sure, the sticky rice and mango is to die for and here and there you’ll find certain dishes that are okay, but the efforts often don’t make it to what we as westerners would call ‘palatable’. Exhibit A: an ice cream sundae with corn topping. Keep Reading…

As more and more jobs consist of mainly sitting at a computer and more and more recreational activities consist of mainly sitting in front of a television, it’s no surprise we’re getting fatter. The oft-maligned American diet is usually brought up as a pretty hefty (heh) contributing factor, chronicled brilliantly on ThisIsWhyYou’reFat.com. Well, one of America’s worst culinary offenders has officially landed in Bangkok – the Donut Burger, wherein a donut takes the place of a burger bun. Never being one to resist temptation, I figured I’d do my blogging duty and headed down to try it out. Keep Reading…