Thai Society/Culture
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Mooban Hacking Part 1 (Pimp My Ride, Thailand)
Here are the plans I have for the Crown: Fix brakes (possibly replace master cylinder) Fixed & replaced Bodywork/new paint job (needs missing chrome part on front) Install parking break Install wing mirrors to replace current side mirrors Repair/replace gauges (the temp. gauge is the only one I really need and it works; fuel gauge works at full tank and 1/4 tank, again, this is all I really need) Suspension (may dump the front; rear sus is OK as is) Sadly, this car is a poor candidate for classic restoration – she’s a bit rough and it would be quite expensive. Plus, it just doesn’t fit this car’s kick-ass demeanor.…
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Loy Krathong 2007 @ MSU
A short, jumbled series from the Loy Krathong celebration at Nam’s university last month:
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Mooban Hack – The Legend of the Kujira Begins
mooban def: a village or community (Thai) (note: I previously wrote about my new ride here) Maybe I should say the legend “continues,” since I’m told it’s quite possibly run a million kilometers over the past 36 years, but the legend of the Kujira Crown began for me on September 1, 2007. I happened across this ad shortly after it was posted on the Thai Visa forums: 1971 Toyota Crown Deluxe. RB20 Nissan 2 litre, 24 Valve Fuel Injected 6 Cylinder. 5 Speed Manual Airconditioning (but needs a re-gas) Registration expired, can be updated. Owner Book and change of ownership papers supplied. This is a tired old car, with brakes,…
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Goose Steppin’
I have only one class on Fridays, in the morning. Today they were supposed to do presentations, but only a small fraction of the class showed up. When I asked where the absent students were, I was told they are participating in a parade for the military and local politicians this morning. I had to cancel. – This has only served to confirm my extreme dislike for all three – parades, the military, and local politicians (but not necessarily in that order).
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Karaoke Machine from Hell
Found on a floating barge restaurant on our way to the candle festival in Ubon Ratchathani a few months ago. Note the lighting ball and licensed song stickers around the screen. Pooh seals the deal, though.
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A Wedding in Ratburi
You know you are in for one fine shindig when you wake up at 5:30 AM to speaker stacks from hell: A few weeks ago, we took off for our friend’s wedding in Ratchaburi (short: Ratburi), located a couple hours southeast of Bangkok and famous mostly for its floating market. We boarded the Friday night VIP bus in Sarakham and arrived at Mo Chit station on Bangkok at 3:30 AM, and proceeded directly to Nam’s aunt’s house in Lad Prao via taxi. We spent the next day shopping for the new house and swimming in Bangkok smog, which is quite exhausting. (Note: We managed to satisfy some Mexican food cravings…
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Culture Shock
I just found out one of the top hitmen in Thailand (no shit!) is studying English in my weekend English class. Details to follow as soon as I survive grading in a few months. One thing I will reveal is that this type of information is common knowledge to Thais. The reason why is something I cannot yet reveal.
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Sometimes Life is Better on the Back of a Tuktuk
Currently going through photos I took earlier this year in preparation for a couple of big upcoming posts…
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LANGBA – PenesamiG
In my previous post, I spoke of “fake brand name knockoffs that are loosely based on a famous item but a little too ironically so, giving you the impression that the person who designed it did so as an inside joke or something…” This is more precisely what I meant: This is not your average copper top. ////////////////////////// These crappy and frankly, dangerous (look at the insane bulging on the rightmost one – they came this way!) Chinese knockoffs were bundled with a couple of LCD flashlights I took camping a few weeks ago. The term “mutant knockoffs” has been coined for products like these. ////////////////////////// LINKAGE: Fake Products: Mutant…
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Justin of America – Justin Jeans?
Sometimes, a sign just hits you in the face: Spotted in Khon Kaen, Thailand Somebody painted my ass on a sign! We’ve actually spotted Justin Jeans apparel – mostly t-shirts and sweatshirts – at cheap night markets, but not the actual jeans. The clothes we saw were of the extremely cheap variety, made of the thinnest cotton poly blend, designed so badly as to be unappealing anywhere but the poorest corners of the third world. Kind of like those fake brand name knockoffs that are loosely based on a famous item but a little too ironically so, giving you the impression that the person who designed it did so as…
