Category: Photos

Toshino Kickass

It seems like a funny name for a safety product, but I guess they paid someone’s 12 year old nephew to design it, so whatever… Toshino actually makes some of the higher end power strips in Thailand, though (in a market filled with dubious/dangerous products).

Seen at the Thaiwatsadu home center near our home.

UPDATE: The Jetpack suite for WordPress now contains a built-in AI for providing feedback on my posts before publishing. It has told me:

The content mentions a safety product with a humorous name, suggesting that it may have been poorly designed. However, it also highlights that Toshino produces higher-end power strips in Thailand. The accompanying images showcase the product at a home center.

Overall, the post captures the author’s opinion about the product and provides visual evidence. However, it would benefit from the following actions to improve clarity:

1. Consider providing more information about the Toshino brand and its reputation in the market.

2. Elaborate on why the author believes the product name is funny and how it may impact its perceived quality.

3. Share any personal experience or observations with Toshino power strips or similar products to enhance credibility.

4. Include a conclusion or final thoughts to summarize the author’s opinion.

These improvements will help readers gain a better understanding of the product and the author’s perspective.

Groovy.

A Message to the US Ambassador to Thailand

On September 29, 2023, Robert F. Godec, Ambassador of the United States to Thailand, visited Mahasarakham University to open a new wing of the American Corner, at which Mina and I have been helping run open conversation classes.

If the ambassador’s social media ninjas happen to see this post, please convey a message to him that I was unable to complete when a VIP entourage suddenly appeared: The best historical book in English regarding the Issan region, and Mahasarakham in particular, is The Far Province by Francis Cripps. There are several editions; try and get one with photos and you will see how much this town has developed in 60 years!

Hoping somebody follows the backlinks:

American Corners in Thailand on the US Embassy & Consulate in Thailand website

“ผมดีใจที่ได้ไปเยือน American Corner ม.มหาสารคาม Mahasarakham University เพื่อพูดคุยกับนิสิตและคณาจารย์ รวมทั้งเรียนรู้เกี่ยวกับภาคอีสานที่แสนวิเศษครับ สนุกมากที่ได้เล่าถึงประสบการณ์การทำงาน หนังสือเล่มโปรด และเปิด Reading Corner แห่งใหม่ แล้วยังได้ชิมอาหารอีสานที่ “แซ่บอีหลี” ด้วยครับ! อร่อยมาก!!” – ทูตบ๊อบ โกเดค

????️????️ แซ่บอีหลี! ทูตบ๊อบ โกเดค สนุกมากที่ได้เรียนตำส้มตำ ทั้งวิธีทำ ทั้งวัตถุดิบ สไตล์อีสานแท้ ๆ เลยล่ะค่ะ! ไหนใครจะไปกินส้มตำช่วงสุดสัปดาห์นี้บ้างคะ – usembassybkk

Terrific visit to the American Corner
@MsuUniversity Wonderful to speak with the students and faculty and learn more about amazing Isaan. Had a great time sharing career experiences, favorite books, & inaugurating the new Reading Corner. And Isaan cuisine is “sab e-lee”!! Yum!!! – Ambassador Robert F. Godec

Stewed Beef

I am a huge fan of stewed beef, and I love the texture of stewed meats in general. Nam’s friend from middle school opened a noodle shop near her university and we visited a while back.

It was so good. I’m also loving the camera on this used Pixel 6. I was shocked to find out that a local phone accessory shop could cut me a hydrogel screen film with their cutting machine. It had the specs for my phone in its memory, along with thousands of other models I could see.

Maps Link: Racha Stewed Beef

wiggy

A stall selling wigs at Robinson Roi Et shopping mall. It must be noted that the number of the stall is also shorthand for the name of the city, Roi Et, which means “a hundred and one.”

According to Wikipedia:

The name of the province literally means ‘one hundred and one’ (Thai: ร้อยเอ็ด; RTGS: roi et ). Correctly, the number should be “eleven” (Thai: สิบเอ็ด; RTGS: sip et ), as the province was named after its eleven ancient gates built for its eleven vassal states. In ancient times, the number “eleven” was written “๑๐๑” (101) and the provincial name was written accordingly. Later, people took “๑๐๑” to mean ‘one hundred and one’ and have since then called it “Roi Et”.[4]

“Roi Et” is also jokingly called “LA” by the locals.

Lunchtime Perfection @Praewa

Pat Prik Gang Moo Krob Khai Dao – Red Curry Stir Fry with Crispy Pork Topped w/Fried Egg (AKA Star Egg) at a short order joint between my office at Rajabhat Maha Sarakham University and the National Sports University down the street. They serve the highest form of Pad Thai in the known universe, topped with crispy pork, only available at a couple restaurants I’ve ever seen.

Sous Vide

I waited for the better part of a decade for sous vide equipment to become cheap enough for me to get into.

The verdict is that sous vide with a cast iron pan sear to finish is definitely the best way to cook chicken breasts. I’m basically trying different proteins each week. Last week was chicken, and this week is pork. The main issue I have with sous vide is the plastic waste it generates. Also, the cheapo Chinese unit I bought requires a press for each tenth of a degree or minute when setting temp/time, which means I’ve already pressed the buttons about a thousand times, as the pulled pork I did the other day had to be set for twelve hours LOLOL. The unit was around forty bucks, so I guess usability testing wasn’t a high priority for the manufacturer. It does work, it’s just unnecessarily annoying.

pickle

This pic reminds me of a photo of her mom, Donut, as a kitten.

Here, Pickle can be seen resting on the track for our front gate. She routinely sits in dangerous places, like in front of cars, and then moves only at the last second, no matter how many times she’s warned.

I’m too lazy too look it up, but Pickle must be around 5-6 years old now. She keeps the surrounding rodent population in check, so she is invaluable, but she is the most needy and meowy cat we’ve ever had… Pickle! Shut up!