On Expat Identity and The Tragically Hip

You may have heard the recent news that Gord Downie, the lead singer of iconic Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip, has passed away. It was not unexpected, and Gord filled his last year with a tour that acted as a sad, triumphant thank you and goodbye to Hip fans across Canada and around the world. But unexpectedly, his death got me thinking about a few things,

The Sound of Culture in a Noisy City

Bangkok's noise is legendary, from the constant growl of traffic, to the bleating of 'pretty girls' selling the latest whitening cream, to outdoor speakers turned up to 11. It's often hard to find a peaceful corner - a fact that Not the Nation parodied so well - and when you do, you cherish it. It's even nicer when that peaceful corner is filled with lovely, soft classical music. I was lucky enough to attend an event recently that was just that, and even luckier to hang out with the talented musicans that performed. Surprisingly, they told me that these types of events were more common that I thought - you just have to know where to look.

2016-11-17T15:48:02+00:00Bangkok, Culture, Music|0 Comments

Bangkok Podcast: One Year In

Well, that was a long stretch with no updates – again. Freelance assignments are taking most of my time these days (not to mention a video game I downloaded against my better judgment), but it was a memorable week for another reason too – the one-year anniversary of the Bangkok Podcast. If you don’t know about that, well, click on the little box to the left and check it out. My buddy Tony Joh and I recorded our first show on May 17, 2010 and have done a show every week since then. It’s been a good time and we’ve had some pretty interesting guests. To celebrate, we decided to have a party, and with the help of some friends and sponsors, it was a great success.

ExciTED, MotivaTED, ExhausTED: Anatomy of a TEDx Conference

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.

A Few Things Thailand Has Perfected

checkAs with most foreigners in Thailand, I sometimes get upset with the many ineffective, inefficient quirks that Thailand has; the type of day where you say "Well, they did it this way in my country, why don't they do it that way here?" The correct answer, of course, is "Then go home, whiner." But while Thailand often lacks a certain refined efficiency in many areas, there are plenty of other areas - some of them creature comforts that we're used to getting at home - that are done far better than they ever were in the Motherland. Of course, I don't mean to dis Canada, but I think it's a fair representation of most western countries. Here's some of my favorite differences.

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