Random thoughts on movies/TV

– There is no such thing as a movie being better than the book. And the screen version of Where the the Wild Things Are directed by Spike Lee Jonze will probably prove this beyond a doubt (if it’s an exception to the rule, however, excellent!).
– Hollywood is poison to successful Hong Kong talent. Case in point #1: Chow Yun Fat, #2 John Woo, #3 Michelle Yeoh (also read: The law of diminishing returns)
– Amazingly, Japanese TV manages to suck even harder than American TV
– Even more amazingly, Japanese MTV sucks even harder than American MTV (see also: Japanese rappers, J-Pop)
– The only thing more annoying than trailers for a retarded show like Ally McBeal is trailers for a retarded show like Ally McBeal in Japanese (theme songs and all)
– CNN Japan occasionally airs The Daily Show episodes at 3:30 in the morning
– Kiefer Sutherland has nothing to lose by legally changing his name to Jack Bauer
– It is my firm belief that most Japanese people have never seen a Kurosawa film (although many claim to have, and they all DO know who he was, at least)
– At movie theaters in Thailand, people stand up and sing in honor of the king before the movie begins (they hold their right hand over their hearts like the Pledge of Allegiance, if I remember correctly)
– Movie theaters in Thailand have had better seating reservation systems than most in the US or Japan for the past 5 years (customer-operated Windows-based touch screen systems at the ticket booth)
– Overseas movies routinely take several months to appear in Japanese theaters
– Movie channels on Japanese cable/sat TV are unbelievably pathetic (“new features” are often 2-3 years old)
– The NTSC system suxxors compares to PAL

Skype, Out

Will anyone stand up to the Chinese government?
Skype caves in to Chinese censors
I’m sick of those commie bastards dictating morally wrong terms of business to Western companies. And will said companies please grow some fucking balls already? Jeez.
Hope you feel proud participating in the censorship of, say, the Dalai Lama… Well, you just wait. Karma’s a fucking bitch, you nutless cowards.
The thing is, I’d have figured a righteous company like Skype would somehow act better than those pussies over at , say, Yahoo (oooops there goes my del.ico.us and flickr accounts)… Guess I’ll see you guys again when I need to ask someone what Beijing dick tastes like.

Taxis at Bangkok Airport

My mom asked me how to catch a cab at Bangkok International Airport and I am reprinting my advice here.
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The best way to catch a taxi from BKK airport is to go up to the Departures level (second floor) and catch one that’s dropping off somebody or is driving by.
The second best way is to go to the taxi stand out on the curb on the Arrivals level (first floor) and get a slip of paper that ensures you will get a metered taxi (although I haven’t seen an unmetered taxi for years). It will automatically cost 50 baht more to do this, and even though that’s not very much money, the taxis on the Arrival level are notoriously old and dirty (this makes a huge impact when the A/C is cranked and the windows are rolled up the whole time).
The absolute worst thing to do is to agree on a fare inside the airport. Some cabbies will try to help you with your bags to try and get you in their cabs, especially if you look like a noob, but refuse them. They charge up to ten times the normal fare, which is still under twenty bucks, but still….
There is a map of the airport here: Bangkok International Airport

Details: Boat charter

Just got an e-mail back from Barry, who I’ve been talking to about the boat charter:

Our normal trip leaves our pontoon at 9 a.m. and returns around 5 – 5.30
p.m. – however, as you will be chartering the boat for your group only, we
can be flexible on this at either end.
We normally catch snapper, seabass, catfish, sweetlip. The fish are not all
that big because we won’t be that far off the coast and the water is still
fairly shallow. The boat was out last Sunday and they caught over 80 fish
with the biggest (a snapper) just over 12 inches long.
There’s plenty of discovering to do – we take out semirigid with us to ferry
passengers to beaches. There’s one small island, for example, that is
inhabited only by (timid) monkeys, and passengers enjoy feeding them
bananas.
The area of Kao Sam Roi Yod is a protected marine national park, so it’t
pristine in Thai terms.
There’t no great snorkelling around here, though around Monkey Island is ok
if the sea is very calm.
We have a very well stocked bar on the boat, including all the popular
beers, spirits and some cocktails. Our prices are the same as normal bar
prices in Hua Hin, i.e. not the normal over-inflated prices you normally
find on boats, etc.
We can provide whatever catering you want, e.g. a mixed Thai buffet, a
top-range buffet of western food or just about anything else. If you could
give an idea of what you want, I’ll price and send you the details and you
can then decide.
Our marina for boarding the boat is in Pak Nam Pran, just over 20 km south
of Hua Hin.
It only takes 20 minutes from Hua Hin and is a pleasant drive, the last half
through hilly pineapple plantations.
We have a pick-up taxi that can transport 10 and can organise an additional
similar vehicle.
The return trip for both vehicles together would be B 1200, i.e. B 60 per
head for 20 people.
There is accommodation near us but tends to be more expensive than in Hua
Hin and there is no nightlife in Pak Nam Pran.
If you want us to check out accommodation for you in Hua Hin, again just
give me the details, how many double/single rooms, price range etc. and
we’ll ask around for you.

So now let’s examine some of what he has written. First off, I believe he said the magic word: MONKEYS! And MONKEY ISLAND! No explanation necessary, the addition of monkeys is just a lovely bonus… I may have just found the first volunteers for my future simian army (recruiting line: “Travel to exotic places, meet wonderful people, and FLING POO AT THEM!”).

This is a sweetlip. According to other sites, they are prime for eating.
“semirigid” = Zodiac w/outboard
I’m going to ask for the catering. What kind of spread do we want? Maybe they can prepare some of the fish we catch on board to supplement whatever we order. Decisions, decisions.
Regarding the 60 Baht per person (assuming 20 pax) we were quoted for the taxi ride, 2 taxis, 40 km/40 mins. both ways: That’s a DOLLAR AND FIFTY CENTS. How you like them apples? I love Thailand.
For some reason, Hua Hin is reminding me of Lanai, although I might not have ever even been there. Must be the pineapple plantations.
Need I mention that I’m REALLY REALLY EXCITED about this?
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You know what? I might not be able to tip these guys well enough!

Chuck Norris is the Sound of One Hand Clapping

An announcement on his site (LINK):

IN RESPONSE TO THE “RANDOM FACTS” THAT ARE BEING GENERATED ON THE INTERNET
I’m aware of the made up declarations about me that have recently begun to appear on the Internet and in emails as “Chuck Norris facts.” I’ve seen some of them. Some are funny. Some are pretty far out. Being more a student of the Wild West than the wild world of the Internet, I’m not quite sure what to make of it. It’s quite surprising. I do know that boys will be boys, and I neither take offense nor take these things too seriously. Who knows, maybe these made up one-liners will prompt young people to seek out the real facts as found in my recent autobiographical book, “Against All Odds?” They may even be interested enough to check out my novels set in the Old West, “The Justice Riders,” released this month. I’m very proud of these literary efforts.
– Chuck Norris

In case you haven’t seen the list of random facts in question, Tom has a comprehensive one up on his blog.
“The chief export of Chuck Norris is pain.” Heh. The second is porn moustaches.