Archive for May, 2008
Which Island Should You Hit First?
This is a question that, without fail, I’m asked every time a friend visits: which island do I recommend? That’s a bit like answering which type of soda I prefer - it will usually vary greatly depending on the mood I’m in. Usually it’s Coke, but sometimes I dig a Sprite. Sometimes [...]
Thailand’s Version of Workplace Safety
One of the first things many visitors notice about Thailand is that all the construction workers - putting in ten hour days in 38 degree heat - wear long-sleeve shirts, gloves, full-face masks and wide brimmed hats. It often confuses the pasty tourist, already dripping with sweat after strolling a few hundred feet out of [...]
Got Lots of Music? You Can’t Beat MediaMonkey for Your Jukebox
Like a lot of people, I find it hard to escape the pull of the ubiquitous Apple Computer and their wonderful little gadgets. iPhones, iMacs, iPods and the super sexy Macbook Air all get my inner geek salivating. On a related note, I have a lot of music - 24,188 songs as of [...]
How A Burmese Election Works
A friend of a friend, who shall remain nameless for obvious reasons, has just returned from Burma. She was sent by one of the media outlets she works for, who told her to head up for a few days, pose as a tourist, and very gingerly snoop around to see if she could learn [...]
My Favourite Poem
I’ve always been a ‘distance fan’ of poetry - that is, I admire the stuff that grabs me, but often don’t have the experience or (let’s face it) literary intelligence, to really get it. Some poems totally wow me, others just seem like forced and unrelated lines of words. I was at a [...]
The Revolution Will Be With You Shortly…
Cyclone Nargis, which tore a path through Burma last week, might end up being the straw that breaks the camel’s back, assuming the camel is the brutal military regime that ‘runs’ the country, and the straw is a horrifying death that climbs even higher as the useless generals sit on their asses and wonder what [...]
