Final Game

Today's song is: I won't Back Down  .. Tom Petty

I coached my final game of the season with my senior boys basketball game and we played a great game, winning by 25 points. The highlight of the game was getting Ryu to score his first points of the season. He managed a nice short corner shot and scored a deuce.

There is one last tournament to go in Chang Mai and I am looking forward to it as I have never been there. Nine of the players are going and we should do well. Playing time will not be a problem.

I have mentioned before that Thais sometimes have short fuses and that it is always advisable to back away from confrontation.  This is an unusual example:

https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1403050/karaoke-quarrel-ends-in-shooting

They do like their karaoke!

Thavorn is still in the village and Jaidan and her are staing busy. I am fending for myself and getting out with my friends Harvey and mimmo.

Some pics:

My snacks  .. palmetto, baby carrots, Lays Originals, Skippy, and Korean chicken with noodles

Jaidan chlling with his sister, eating pizza

Yummy

Thavorn getting her hair streaked in Wichian Buri

My boys warming up

ASB has a nice wooden floor (american School of Bangkok

TTYL

Tidal Shift

Today's song is: Waiting for a Girl Like You  .. Foreigner

There is a tidal shift underway in the bar industry in Bangkok. Gone are teh days when the majority of clientele was farang. These days the farangs(Caucasian men) are being replace by Chinese and Indians. They seem to be middle class and travel in groups of 2-6 males, much like visiting farangs used to.  The Japanese clients are holding their own as Japan is a short flight away.

The good news is that the Chinese and Indians are approachable and are willing to strike up a conversation unlike the Japanese. However, the Chinese have an annoying habit of throwing 20 baht bills at the girls which results in the inevitable scramble for what amounts to 60 cents. I find it demeaning.  Come on guys, up it to a 100 baht note  :-)

It is the middle of high season and Nana and Cowboy were packed last nigh (Saturday). You could not get a seat in Baccara or Crazy House (downstairs). The Dollhouse was great as always. It is the personality of the girls that make the bar, IMHO.

The flue is making the round of Bangkok and lasts up to 3 weeks with a fever and persistent cough. Not much fun.

I was out at the Kiwi Bar with some friends last night and the talk was centered on what to do to alleviate boredom. Lifers, unlike the holiday tourists that parachute in for a week, can not afford to party every night dues to fiance and health reasons. If you are married to a Thai national and have kids then boredom is not much of an issue. However if you are single, then you need to take up golf, read, workout, etc.

I, personally, coach basketball as it gives me pleasure to interact with teenage Thais who are very appreciative to have good coaching with a sense of humour.  I am sure they refer to me as the crazy farang coach when I am not around to hear  :-)

TTYL

ShitHole Countries

Today's post is: Universal Soldier  .. new version, as of 2009

I am not a Trump fan but I am even less of a fan of the far left and how they play the racist card every chance they get.  Trump recently posed the question of why the US would want more immigrants form ShitHole countries and named a few.  The leftists immediately called the statement racist.

Supposedly I said the current edition of the Chicago Bulls NBA team is a ShitHole team? Does that make me a racist? After all, the team is mostly black, but then again, they were mostly black when they were winning NBA championhsips with Michael Jordan. Basically, the ethnicity of the team has nothing to do with whether or not the team is a ShitHole team.

Ditto for the countries Trump mentioned. One only has to go to:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/

to see how the government bureaucrats rate these same countries. A good rule of thumb is, if you would not vacation there, then it is a ShitHole country.  Here are the travel warnings for El Salvador, Haiti, and Yemen.:

The leftist narrative makes it nearly impossible to call a spade a spade (oops, no longer PC) or 'if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, then most likely, it is a duck'. Playing the race card at every moment is not helping, it is hurting race relations .. 

CNN is becoming a joke. I used to enjoy watching their news there but they are so biased against the newly elected government that I find it boring to watch. There is no doubt that Trump is an 'AssHole', but he is a duly elected 'AssHole', so get over it and start reporting on things that matter (Yes, I know Black Lives matter), such as student debt, free health care for all, a decent wage for all, and redistributing the wealth that the 1% has accumulated to the majority of the population. Once that is done, perhaps we can reach out to the ShitHole countries  ...

TTYL

Cold is Done

Today's song is: Top 10 Eagles Songs  ..

Back in North America the land is locked into a deep freeze with temperatures in the -20's and the flue is making the rounds. Here in Thailand, the temperature is in the high 20's and the cold is making the rounds. As usual, the cold seems to last 7 days, no matter what you do. I noticed this morning that my cold appears to be gone.

However, with friends Mimmo and Ashley visiting, we still had to get out and about. There was also a basketball team to coach and games to be played.

Some pics of activities over the past week  ..

Ashley jammin at Chatachak Weekend Market

Sharing some drinks with Margaret  .. John's mom

John and Fon at the market

Out at Cabbages and Condums

Waiting for my 90 day reporting at the government complex

Cabbages and Condums

Fon, trying on wedding dresses

Ham and cheese

Thavorn, out with her friends  ..

Thavorn with Whacky Tacky

Ashley and Briggett head off to Cambodia on Friday and basketball heads into the playoff in 2 weeks.  My focus will be on getting my team in a position to upset a team or two. Always lots of fun.  The team seems to be enjoying themselves and and have asked to play a couple of extra exhibition games.

TTYL

Ashley Arrives and I Catch a Cold

Today's song is: Springsteen in Concert

Welcome to 2018! My buddy Ashley and his gf Brigette have arrived and have settled in to the same apartment building I live in. They were originally scheduled in for a month but family calls and they have to be with Brigette's mother in Cambodia by mid January. They are hoping to make up the 2 weeks later in their 4 month S.E. Asia odyssey.

Unfortunately, I came down with a bad cough, fever, and head cold and I am just starting to feel normal again. My friend Harvey has picked up the slack and he is touring them around Bangkok as they share a passion for photography.

Ashley getting smoked at 4 in a row  .. I never win either  ..

This tower game is interesting to watch  ..

Ploi, Thavorn's friend lands an Australian farang at Country Road  ..

I don't expect big changes in the LOS in 2018 but I am hoping the Canadian dollar appreciates more with the US dollar to get more of my purchasing power back. The Thai baht has also been appreciating to the US dollar which does not help much. At this moment $1 CDN = 26 baht, compared to 32 baht when I first arrived in Thailand.

I am feeling well enough to meet my buddy Mimmo who is on his last night in the Big Mango. It is always fun to go out with Mimmo who is an Italian citizen working for a Swiss multinational company, at least that is what he says, but I suspect he is really in charge of money laundering for S.E. Asia mafia  :-)

My other buddy Shaun heads back to Malaysia on the 10th to continue teaching at Sunway International School.

Jaidan and Thavorn are well.

TTYL

New Year's Day

Today's song is: Gandalf .. Falling

A group of us enjoyed the New Year's Day brunch at the Novotel Hotel at the Ploenchit BTS station. They put on a great spread and it only costs 1,100 baht if you book online.  Here are some pics:

Organized by my friend John

Today, Jan 2nd we headed out to Funtasia a playground for children. We went with my friend Harvey, his gf Phai, and her 2 children.  Nice place, within walking distance and only $12 entrance fee per kid.

Phai and older daughter, photo by Jaidan

Thavor, photo by Jaidan

Bad boys, Harvey and Jim, photo by Jaidan

Tonight I am heading off to the Robin Hood pub to get caught up with my buddy john, Rich, and Paul.

Sooner or later, all the characters show up in the Big Mango

TTYL