Categories
Misc.

Uncle Joel Joins Flickr

A couple of days ago I discovered that a long-time friend of the family, a photojournalist in Portland, Oregon, has begun posting some of his images on Flickr.

(“Uncle” Joel’s a close friend of my Dad; he snapped the pic of me as a three-year-old, above, watching my Pop work in our yard. Here’s the full-sized version of the image and its caption.)

I always knew Joel was a top-notch pro, a veteran lensman who’s been in the business for years and years, but upon viewing the breadth and depth of his work, I have to say I was astounded. His photos are full of energy and emotion, and they’re technically flawless. (I know just enough about photography to be dangerous, as they say.)

Here’re some of his pics that I particularly like:

“Leaving Summer Behind”
“Like a river flows…”
“Coco can Fly! (variation on a theme)”
“Daddy’s Girl” (don’t miss the caption)
“Sadiegirl takes her waters (for Hans)”
“Beach run at Rockaway (for Lotte)”
“finishline”
“Collision Course”
“Dog is my Co-Pilot”

His Music Makers and Sportin’ sets are also exceptional.

Ex-PM Thaksin Roams the Streets of London Solo

Ex-PM Thaksin Roams the London Streets Alone

How the mighty have fallen.

The Nation newspaper ran some photos yesterday of Thailand’s ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra strolling about London all by his lonesome. (He’s currently in exile there after being deposed in the military coup.)

The images seems to convey that Thaksin feels bummed, like, “I’m so lonely here in the UK and I feel so left out.” Also, don’t miss the taunting prose that the Nation ran along with the pics.

(As an aside: I don’t mean to compare Thaksin to Lil’Kim, but I can’t help but draw a parallel between these stark photos and the latter’s famous “I’m so ronery” ballad…)

Funny Friday Feline Pics

Astronaut Cat

Karate!

Word

I’m not even slightly a cat person, but since it’s Friday, here’s a special gift: funny cat pics, many of which belong to the Cute Overload oeuvre (though I prefer its counterpart, Ugly Overload). Sadly, there is no Tubcat in this amusing feline gallery. (Side note: My favorite animal site on the Intarweb is and always will be Sperel the Goose.)

(Via.)

Categories
Misc.

Mae Hong Son Trip

Mae Hong Son

A and I just returned to Bangkok after five excellent days in the north of Thailand. We spent most of our time in leafy Mae Hong Son, a picturesque town near the Myanmar border.

We were inspired to visit MHS by our pal Austin, who’s a big fan of the region, and I can only say that I’m delighted to have seen it; Mae Hong Son is now certainly my favorite part of northern Thailand.

Here’s the full photoset of 67 images.

Below are some of my faves along with some notes:

Our Mean Machine

On the Motosai

Consulting the Map (Though We Were Never Lost. Not Once. Seriously. A Navigated, not me.)

— We rented a motorbike and explored the area around Mae Hong Son. Fantastic. Our metallic steed was no Minsk; nor was it the beloved GTO. And frankly, we could’ve used some two-stroke torque for the hills and twisties. Rather, we piloted a somewhat anemic but nonetheless serviceable 125 cc, four-stroke, four-speed Honda Dream step-through.

A in the Mineral Pool

Wats, Valley, Rice Paddies, Palm Trees

Overlooking Mae Hong Son

Valley

Flag, Temple Spire

Us

— The scenery was incredible.

Som Tam. Som Tam. Som Tam. God How I Love Thee...

Khao Soi

BBQ Chicken

Spring Rolls!

— We consumed some transcendent vittles.

Fern Resort. Our Bungalow was Three of Four Down

A on Our Bungalow's Balcony

Friendly Dog. Begging for Scraps Very Nonchalantly

— We stayed at the excellent Fern Resort; our tidy bungalow had a balcony overlooking a stream.

Suvarnabhumi, Bangkok's New (and Blinged Out) Airport

Suvarnabhumi Domestic Arrivals Terminal

— And, finally, since we flew to Mae Hong Son from Bangkok via Chiang Mai, I got a chance to check out, for the first time, BKK’s brand-new airport, Suvarnabhumi (pronounced “Su-wanna-poom”). Its main terminal is blinged out in blue neon lights and ultra-modern, glistening steel. Sweet.

Spotted in Bangkok

Spotted in Bangkok: How to Carry a Bucket and Drive a Motorbike at the Same Time

How to carry a bucket and drive a motorbike at the same time. Awesome.

Truth in Labeling — and Being Big Outside America

Truth in Labeling

The tag says it all:

“ASIAN SIZE XL.”

I bought this pair of shorts here in Bangkok recently. If you’re a large person like me and you’ve ever tried to buy clothing in Asia, you’ll appreciate the fact that Adidas has seen fit to label these bad boys honestly. An XL in Asia is perhaps an M in America.

Related photos of me being large and in charge in the far east and elsewhere outside of North America:

With Some Folks Who Approached me in Jakarta
Looking silly in Jakarta.

At Gin-Long's Restaurant
With Mammoth and Dong and the Gin Long Crew in Kaohsiung, Taiwan (somewhat embarrasingly, I’m wearing the same tee in this pic — but hey, I was on a long trip).

Me and a Small Opel
Next to a microscopic Opel in Ireland circa 2002.

big_np_little_chair
Standing next to a chair in the north of Vietnam

With a food vendor atop the Nariz del Diablo train
With a food vendor in central Ecuador

With some girls in Quito
And with a gaggle of girls in Quito.

Best. Photo. Ever.

Best. Photo. Ever.

Apropos of nothing, a funny pic for you, my dear readers. Would that I snapped it. Click for a bigger version.

Enjoy the weekend.

(Via.)

Categories
Misc.

“Sun Outages” in Bangkok

Perhaps this has something to do with coup-related Western media censorship, but A and I saw this on TV recently here in Bangkok. The full text of this screen — which appears sporadically for 30 seconds or so during English-language commercials that feature non-political content on the cable provider UBC — reads:

Please be advised that there may be short disruptions to our satellite transmission due to sun outages from Tue 26 September to Wed 4 October from 06:00 to 15:00 due to a “sun outage”. This is a natural phenomenon that may affect our signal for a few minutes – after which normal transmission will resume. We apologise for any inconvenience.

And here’s the Thai version, for what it’s worth.

What in God’s name is a “sun outage”? Is UBC talking about solar flares? If this is a natural phenomenon, how the hell do they know when, precisely, it’ll occur? Am I going crazy here or what?

Categories
Misc.

Thailand Coup: 12:55 a.m. Bangkok Time

UPDATE:

— CNN International reports that martial law has been declared in Bangkok.

AP:

Stocks dropped suddenly Tuesday after Thailand’s military launched a coup against the country’s prime minister.

Traders watching Thailand closely are certain to remember how trouble in the kingdom has had worldwide implications in the past: The Asia currency crisis that erupted in 1997 began with the devaluation of the Thai baht, then snowballed into an international economic downturn.

2Bangkok.com:

What apparently has happened: From New York, PM Thaksin declared a state of emergency recalling Commander-in-Chief Sondhi from the deep south–this was, in effect, firing him. At about the same time, the military under Sondhi staged a counter-coup and cancelled Thaksin’s state of emergency taking control of key areas in Bangkok.

Bikes of Burden

Bikes of Burden is a coffee table book featuring images of Vietnamese motorbike drivers hauling around enormous amounts of various and sundry items. I saw a copy in a bookstore here in Bangkok recently; it’s fantastic. The author is Hans Kemp, a Dutch photographer. Here’s a gallery of some pics from from the book. This one might be my favorite. Bikes of Burden is available from Amazon here.