Monday is a hard way to spend 1/7th of your life.
- Unknown
Monday, February 20, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
On fire
I'm burning, burning, burning with just the sensation of eating a perfectly normal Thai chicken & veggies meal with rice, expertly prepared by my brother's girlfriend, Kaew. No chili was involved, but the Thais have a way of making things lethal anyway. Our puny, Norwegian digestive systems fail when faced with just a hint of the strong, spicy goodness that is Thai cuisine.
My brother told me he once went with Kaew to one of her friends' apartment, where the girls will meet almost daily to chat, shop, chat, prepare food, chat, eat, then chat some more. Apparently, this is what they do most of the time. Anyway, he made the mistake of tasting some of this homemade food, and was crying like a little girl before he'd swallowed the first bite. His mouth was on fire, and he couldn't taste the flavor of anything for days.
The Thais are very particular about what they eat. At restaurants, us Westerners will happily stuff face with a bland version of Thai food and think it's the greatest meal we've ever had, but Kaew will wrinkle her nose and pick at the food as often as not. My brother claims, with just a hint of exaggeration, that food's not considered fresh to her unless it was killed within the last hour...
The remains of what Kaew made and we ate.
My brother told me he once went with Kaew to one of her friends' apartment, where the girls will meet almost daily to chat, shop, chat, prepare food, chat, eat, then chat some more. Apparently, this is what they do most of the time. Anyway, he made the mistake of tasting some of this homemade food, and was crying like a little girl before he'd swallowed the first bite. His mouth was on fire, and he couldn't taste the flavor of anything for days.
The Thais are very particular about what they eat. At restaurants, us Westerners will happily stuff face with a bland version of Thai food and think it's the greatest meal we've ever had, but Kaew will wrinkle her nose and pick at the food as often as not. My brother claims, with just a hint of exaggeration, that food's not considered fresh to her unless it was killed within the last hour...
The remains of what Kaew made and we ate.
Sunburn
Got a sunburn on my head, my stomach and my shoulders. Especially the latter is close to making me yearn for the sweet, cold release of death.
More insane flavors
Among the many, many insane things they stuff in their litte, yellow faces down here, spicy potato balls (chips) with squid flavor is actually not the worst. That's as close to an endorsement as Thai snacks has made it with me so far.
Quote of the Day
I think the thing I find most telling about Christianity is it’s only after many of these people have painted themselves into irrevocable moral corners- then and only then do they turn their life over to Christ. Nobody goes to Christ on prom night - it’s only when they fuck it up so horribly that nobody down here’ll talk to them anymore.
- Dennis Miller
- Dennis Miller
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Quote of the Day
The most beautiful make-up of a woman is a passion. But cosmetics are easier to buy.
- Yves Saint Laurent
- Yves Saint Laurent
Concert with Claudia Scott
Friday night we went to a concert with the Norwegian artist Claudia Scott. She was born in Newcastle, but grew up in Bergen and has been one of the more popular Norwegian country/rock artists for many, many years. She started out young; on her first appearance on a record she was only 11!
I must say, at 54 she looks better than ever. Back in the 80s she had this skinny look, but now she's gained a few pounds and seems more comfy in her own skin. She played some of her own songs and some covers. I'm happy to report that the two songs that brought the most applause was "Jambalaya" by Hank Williams and "Will the circle be unbroken" by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Yeeeeeeeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaaaaaw!
Just before they started playing.
In action.
Close up. I was very happy with this photo.
This was taken in the mirror; it's not Claudia but her reflection.
I must say, at 54 she looks better than ever. Back in the 80s she had this skinny look, but now she's gained a few pounds and seems more comfy in her own skin. She played some of her own songs and some covers. I'm happy to report that the two songs that brought the most applause was "Jambalaya" by Hank Williams and "Will the circle be unbroken" by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Yeeeeeeeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaaaaaw!
Just before they started playing.
In action.
Close up. I was very happy with this photo.
This was taken in the mirror; it's not Claudia but her reflection.
A rainy night in Cha am
Last night we went to a Norwegian bar in the neighboring town, Cha am. The bar is owned by a Norwegian musician, and my brother's been out there several times to jam with the guys who frequent the place. Friday they put on a concert with Claudia Scott, a Norwegian artist (pics later).
Afterwards we went out to stuff face. I ordered the spaghetti bolognese, which at this medium fancy place cost all of $3.50. Admittedly the portions were not that big. Later on we went to find a taxi at a stand at one of the numerous 7-11's in the area. Seriously, they're everywhere. Unlike the taxis, I might add. We had to call the same cab we'd come with, from Hua Hin, because there wasn't anything available in Cha am.
While we were waiting, it started to thunder and rain. Let me tell you, rain in Thailand is a tropical deluge. The heavens open and water just pour down. No light, gentle drizzle this, no sirree. Water's coming down like it was spat out of the skies.
The restaurant where we stuffed face. I sniffed the chili and almost died, while my brother's gf grabbed a fistful to pour over her spaghetti. I'll never understand how these people can live without tastebuds, throats or intestines as they must all surely be burned away by now.
This little charmer must have been the offspring of one of the workers at 7-11. She was running in and out, barely able to even open the entrance door. When I went in to buy some stuff she came up to me and was clearly very interested in my camera. So I took a picture of her while she posed like a little pro. I then showed her the picture and the little cutie hugged my legs. Awwwwwwwww.
The rain.
Just fuckin' pourin'.
It was still warm out; I saw some westerners who'd just given up and were making their way around in the rain calmly, almost stoically.
P-o-u-r-i-n-g.
View from our taxi as we drove towards Hua Hin. Which, as far as I could tell, had not been hit by the rain.
Afterwards we went out to stuff face. I ordered the spaghetti bolognese, which at this medium fancy place cost all of $3.50. Admittedly the portions were not that big. Later on we went to find a taxi at a stand at one of the numerous 7-11's in the area. Seriously, they're everywhere. Unlike the taxis, I might add. We had to call the same cab we'd come with, from Hua Hin, because there wasn't anything available in Cha am.
While we were waiting, it started to thunder and rain. Let me tell you, rain in Thailand is a tropical deluge. The heavens open and water just pour down. No light, gentle drizzle this, no sirree. Water's coming down like it was spat out of the skies.
The restaurant where we stuffed face. I sniffed the chili and almost died, while my brother's gf grabbed a fistful to pour over her spaghetti. I'll never understand how these people can live without tastebuds, throats or intestines as they must all surely be burned away by now.
This little charmer must have been the offspring of one of the workers at 7-11. She was running in and out, barely able to even open the entrance door. When I went in to buy some stuff she came up to me and was clearly very interested in my camera. So I took a picture of her while she posed like a little pro. I then showed her the picture and the little cutie hugged my legs. Awwwwwwwww.
The rain.
Just fuckin' pourin'.
It was still warm out; I saw some westerners who'd just given up and were making their way around in the rain calmly, almost stoically.
P-o-u-r-i-n-g.
View from our taxi as we drove towards Hua Hin. Which, as far as I could tell, had not been hit by the rain.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Quote of the Day
Socialists make the mistake of confusing individual worth with success. They believe you cannot allow people to succeed in case those who fail feel worthless.
- Kenneth Baker
- Kenneth Baker
My House
A few words about my somewhat less than humble abode. The house has four bedrooms and five bathrooms, a big living room, a smallish kitchen and a nice little dining room. There has been something wrong with every single bathroom at one point or another in the 3 days I've been here - from leaky toilets to clogged drains to me locking myself out of a bathroom last night. Yes, dear reader. Thai bathroom doors are designed in a way that makes this completely possible. I had to fire off an angry email to the British guy I rent from and he had a locksmith here within the hour. Sigh.
Things seem to be working ok now, except for the odd lightbulb being dark. The repairman will fix the jacuzzi tomorrow - not that I care, but I've paid for the damned thing and maybe some of my guests would like to use it.
I've spent several hours in the pool today. I can't describe how good it is to have a private pool. The weather is warm, there's a nice, cooling breeze and the water is just indescribable. Lying in a sunwarmed pool with just your nose above the water and good music playing on the PC is heaven. The only thing that could possibly make it better is knowing that back at home it's freezing cold and full of snow. Fortunately, this was the case, muahahahaha!
Some pics:
The poooool:
I've made myself a little den in the living room.
Mmmmm. The TV even has Fox News! Wheeeee!
This is one of the little fuckers that keep appearing after dark. They scurry from chair to chair in the living room, and last night one of them became so annoying I had to shoo it out with a broomstick. I think they're cockroaches.
Things seem to be working ok now, except for the odd lightbulb being dark. The repairman will fix the jacuzzi tomorrow - not that I care, but I've paid for the damned thing and maybe some of my guests would like to use it.
I've spent several hours in the pool today. I can't describe how good it is to have a private pool. The weather is warm, there's a nice, cooling breeze and the water is just indescribable. Lying in a sunwarmed pool with just your nose above the water and good music playing on the PC is heaven. The only thing that could possibly make it better is knowing that back at home it's freezing cold and full of snow. Fortunately, this was the case, muahahahaha!
Some pics:
The poooool:
I've made myself a little den in the living room.
Mmmmm. The TV even has Fox News! Wheeeee!
This is one of the little fuckers that keep appearing after dark. They scurry from chair to chair in the living room, and last night one of them became so annoying I had to shoo it out with a broomstick. I think they're cockroaches.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Different tastes
Among the many, many things that make me sane and the Thais raving mad, are the flavors they put into their potato chips. I present you with the following assortment of food madness, purchased for my amusement and a pittance at a 7-11 a few hours ago.
We'll start off with lobster hot plate. Mmmm, lobster. Giant fuckin spiders of the sea. Imagine you've taken a shrimp, dried it and steamrolled it into a flat, lifeless thing. Then imagine someone rolling it in chili for a few months, and you have the taste of this chip.
Then we move on to crab. Sorry, crab CURRY. I couldn't really taste much except for the curry, but there was a slight aftertaste of pool water. Maybe that was the crab.
Rounding it off with these three delicacies - Shrimp Seaweed, Japanese Seaweed and - are you ready for this? YUM Seaweed.
Shrimp seaweed tastes like mild death. There's no better way to describe it. It's not violent, it's not loud, it's not sudden. It's just a mild breath of death.
Japanese seaweed tasted like I imagine Japan. Bland, with just a hint of death.
Yum has a refreshing, perky, almost cheerful taste of death to it.
I'll leave you on a happier note, with just the empty wrappings of a raisin bun with coconut cream. I'd stuffed this down my face before I thought to get a picture in. It was that yummy.
We'll start off with lobster hot plate. Mmmm, lobster. Giant fuckin spiders of the sea. Imagine you've taken a shrimp, dried it and steamrolled it into a flat, lifeless thing. Then imagine someone rolling it in chili for a few months, and you have the taste of this chip.
Then we move on to crab. Sorry, crab CURRY. I couldn't really taste much except for the curry, but there was a slight aftertaste of pool water. Maybe that was the crab.
Rounding it off with these three delicacies - Shrimp Seaweed, Japanese Seaweed and - are you ready for this? YUM Seaweed.
Shrimp seaweed tastes like mild death. There's no better way to describe it. It's not violent, it's not loud, it's not sudden. It's just a mild breath of death.
Japanese seaweed tasted like I imagine Japan. Bland, with just a hint of death.
Yum has a refreshing, perky, almost cheerful taste of death to it.
I'll leave you on a happier note, with just the empty wrappings of a raisin bun with coconut cream. I'd stuffed this down my face before I thought to get a picture in. It was that yummy.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
So much noise...
...from such a small animal. Below is a picture I took Wednesday morning of the perpetrator of the "mad monkey" sounds I described Tuesday. I wasn't inclined to kill it, chiefly because they eat insects and spiders, and fuck knows I hate those little monsters much, much more than I hate newts/lizards... so I opened a window and shooed it out with a broom. I hear these animals several times a day now, from all sides of the house. A much smaller newt/lizard was in the bedroom much later today, and it made the exact same sounds, a combo of mad monkey screech and someone tapping on the window.
In other news, some maintenance guy was over to look at missing light bulbs, leaky faucets and such and such. Since he left, I've discovered yet more bulbs that need replacing and toilets and showers that are leaky. In addition the little fucker took my extra special showerhead with multiple settings when he left, and replaced it with a cheap plasticky thingy. I didn't notice till an hour later that it was gone. I've emailed the owner, so I hope he comes back tomorrow WITH my showerhead and fixes the rest. Sigh.
Also, I've had to change bedrooms, since the one I'd installed myself in, downstairs, now has tiny flies or bugs crawling all over the bed I slept in. I can't be sure, but as far as I can tell they've arrived sometime during Wednesday, I saw nuffin' on Tuesday nor this morning. Furthermore, the ensuite bathroom downstairs had two large bugs crawling around in it the last time I looked. So I carefully packed my suitcase and hauled ass up to one of the large bedrooms upstairs.
So far, I've found that nighttime is when the disgusting stuff starts to creep and crawl here in Thailand. Roaches (or something very much like'em) will come in through cracks around the windows or under doors or come up through drains. They will scurry from hiding place to hiding place, crawl into the most unlikely spaces and surprise (and shock) the hell outta you when you least expect it. I've already learned to place my shoes on the bedside table and to shake shirts and pants vigorously before putting them on. On the bright side, I've seen nothing from them in daylight, and so far the pool has been free of them.
In other news, some maintenance guy was over to look at missing light bulbs, leaky faucets and such and such. Since he left, I've discovered yet more bulbs that need replacing and toilets and showers that are leaky. In addition the little fucker took my extra special showerhead with multiple settings when he left, and replaced it with a cheap plasticky thingy. I didn't notice till an hour later that it was gone. I've emailed the owner, so I hope he comes back tomorrow WITH my showerhead and fixes the rest. Sigh.
Also, I've had to change bedrooms, since the one I'd installed myself in, downstairs, now has tiny flies or bugs crawling all over the bed I slept in. I can't be sure, but as far as I can tell they've arrived sometime during Wednesday, I saw nuffin' on Tuesday nor this morning. Furthermore, the ensuite bathroom downstairs had two large bugs crawling around in it the last time I looked. So I carefully packed my suitcase and hauled ass up to one of the large bedrooms upstairs.
So far, I've found that nighttime is when the disgusting stuff starts to creep and crawl here in Thailand. Roaches (or something very much like'em) will come in through cracks around the windows or under doors or come up through drains. They will scurry from hiding place to hiding place, crawl into the most unlikely spaces and surprise (and shock) the hell outta you when you least expect it. I've already learned to place my shoes on the bedside table and to shake shirts and pants vigorously before putting them on. On the bright side, I've seen nothing from them in daylight, and so far the pool has been free of them.
Quote of the Day
Adulthood is the ever-shrinking period between childhood and old age. It is the apparent aim of modern industrial societies to reduce this period to a minimum.
- Thomas Szasz
- Thomas Szasz
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Thailand: First impressions
Arrived in Tailand shortly after ten in the morning on Tuesday, dead tired after a long flight from Berlin. I didn't get much sleep at all, but had me some discreet fun with playing old Vera Lynn tunes on the puter. It was all I could do not to laugh out loud when she sang "the RAF and me just had another good day". Then I remembered I was in a German plane and stopped snickering.
Immigration control went very fast and with no problems at all. I caught a taxi to Hua Hin, which is about 3 hours south of Bangkok. I'd heard some horror stories about traffic down here, and while it was clearly less organized than in Norway it still wasn't any worse than Italy... My driver was not familiar with Huan Hin, so he stopped after taking off from the freeway and I was picked up by the British guy I'm renting from. His choice of music left much to be desired, though. The first song on his playlist was "I will always love you" with Whitney muthafuckin Houston. Sigh. He also had some Celine Dion and various other annoying artists.
A few words on the property I'm renting - it's a largish house with four bedrooms and five bathrooms, some of them quite spacious. Huge living room, small kitchen and a dining room on the first floor, three bedrooms upstairs. Lovely pool outside. Mmmmm, pool. I've discovered some problems with the place - leaky faucets and clogged drains, etc, but I've been promised that someone will be around to fix them Wednesday.
I've slept most of the afternoon, and woke up just before midnight, and there are some things I still have to figure out. One is that it seems nighttime is when all the fuckin bugs come out to play. I've yet to see a single spider, so that's good. On the other hand there are some bugs that look like roaches that keep scuttering around here, two or three of 'em.
There are also some sounds I have yet to figure out the source of. Earlier today there was a noise like someone tapping on a window, so I got up and went to look, but nothing and nobody could be found. I heard the same noise now, after midnight so either it's the airconditioning or some fucking bug making the sounds. There's also a sound like a mad monkey screeching, but again that might be airconditioning... or bugs. Generally, there are way more sounds both inside and outside the house after dark. I shall have to investigate further tomorrow.
The only store around here is a tiny shack appx. 5 minutes walk from the house, just outside the walled community where I live. I went up there to buy unseemly amounts of water and soda, also raiding the few easily identifiable foodstuffs they had (raisin bread and some kind of sausage bread).
I've yet to venture into Hua Hin proper but I'm strongly considering renting a scooter or something to cut down on the cost of taxis (even though they're dirt cheap) and the time spent traveling. I'm prolly gonna have most of my meals outside the house, so I need some kind of permanent transport arrangement.
Immigration control went very fast and with no problems at all. I caught a taxi to Hua Hin, which is about 3 hours south of Bangkok. I'd heard some horror stories about traffic down here, and while it was clearly less organized than in Norway it still wasn't any worse than Italy... My driver was not familiar with Huan Hin, so he stopped after taking off from the freeway and I was picked up by the British guy I'm renting from. His choice of music left much to be desired, though. The first song on his playlist was "I will always love you" with Whitney muthafuckin Houston. Sigh. He also had some Celine Dion and various other annoying artists.
A few words on the property I'm renting - it's a largish house with four bedrooms and five bathrooms, some of them quite spacious. Huge living room, small kitchen and a dining room on the first floor, three bedrooms upstairs. Lovely pool outside. Mmmmm, pool. I've discovered some problems with the place - leaky faucets and clogged drains, etc, but I've been promised that someone will be around to fix them Wednesday.
I've slept most of the afternoon, and woke up just before midnight, and there are some things I still have to figure out. One is that it seems nighttime is when all the fuckin bugs come out to play. I've yet to see a single spider, so that's good. On the other hand there are some bugs that look like roaches that keep scuttering around here, two or three of 'em.
There are also some sounds I have yet to figure out the source of. Earlier today there was a noise like someone tapping on a window, so I got up and went to look, but nothing and nobody could be found. I heard the same noise now, after midnight so either it's the airconditioning or some fucking bug making the sounds. There's also a sound like a mad monkey screeching, but again that might be airconditioning... or bugs. Generally, there are way more sounds both inside and outside the house after dark. I shall have to investigate further tomorrow.
The only store around here is a tiny shack appx. 5 minutes walk from the house, just outside the walled community where I live. I went up there to buy unseemly amounts of water and soda, also raiding the few easily identifiable foodstuffs they had (raisin bread and some kind of sausage bread).
I've yet to venture into Hua Hin proper but I'm strongly considering renting a scooter or something to cut down on the cost of taxis (even though they're dirt cheap) and the time spent traveling. I'm prolly gonna have most of my meals outside the house, so I need some kind of permanent transport arrangement.
Quote of the Day
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.
- Herm Albright
- Herm Albright
Monday, February 13, 2012
Quote of the Day
For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move.
- Robert Louis Stevenson
- Robert Louis Stevenson
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Quote of the Day
Christians say that - without exception - their God answers all of their prayers; it's just that He sometimes says "yes" and other times "no," "maybe," or "wait." Of course, the same could be said of the rain-god, "Bob".
- Donald Morgan
- Donald Morgan
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Quote of the Day
It is in the character of very few men to honor without envy a friend who has prospered.
- Aeschylus
- Aeschylus
Friday, February 10, 2012
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