Women Learning Thai… and some men too ;-)

Giving back and RAKing sans sin… Christians are really big on the concept of sin. Also quite popular is the atoning for sins by doing good. Ok, for Catholics, the rosary is supposed to come into it, but I grew into my own way of thinking. By the time I was in my 20′s, giving [...]

Heartfelt wishes to Thailand during these turbulent times… What a depressing month. Desperate to write about something positive (having had to cancel most of my planned posts), on Monday I sent the below to a smattering of people (apologies if you didn’t receive one): A request – Those living in Thailand (Thais as well as [...]

WLT is Thai blog of the month at Thailand Voice… Paknam Web hosts a massive amount of Thai learning resources, so it is no stranger to me. Just cruise through my post, Learn Thai on the Paknam Web Network, to see what I mean. And Thailand Voice just happens to be a part of the [...]

Topic: Thailand. Understanding Thailand’s political crisis… During my research for an earlier post, Staying Safe in Thailand: Streetwise Advice + Twitter, Newley Purnell introduced me to his grand new site: Topic: Thailand. Understanding Thailand’s political crisis. Now, I love world history, but I haven’t always been fond of politics (or does my fondness stop at [...]

Red Shirts, pink shirts, yellow shirts… or no shirts… With Thailand’s political skuffles deepening, I’ve had daily rethinks about the contents of my posts. You see, there are three weeks + of product reviews waiting in the wings. And understandably, no one wants their feature to go live during a time of bloodshed. Boggles the [...]

What’s going on with Thai politics… Some westerners in Thailand see the Red Shirts as an inconvenient pain in the butt (but so are volcanoes). Others feel that the Red Shirts have a valid point (a number of Pink Shirts believe that too). To top it off, knowledgeable expats plugged into the mainstream of Thai [...]

How to quiet your life… There is no doubt about it, 2010 is MY year for personal improvement. And as my 30 Day Thai Language Trial was successful, I decided to follow with Vern’s 22 Day Meditation Course. When I asked Vern how it came about, he replied: In 1997 I began to meditate. I [...]

Wats are full of turkeys and frogs, and sometimes storks too… If you are an animal lover, one of the first things you notice in Thailand are the decaying dogs laying around scenic Wats. Their scabby bodies make my heart hurt. Yours too? Disregarding the sickly canine and healthy cats – why is that? – [...]

At last, a proper calendar for Thailand… Awhile back I started chatting on twitter with Andrew from The Bangkok Bugle about the lack of available calendars for Thailand. Andrew compiled some pretty decent resources – Bangkok’s best what’s on magazines – but we all agreed that none 100% fit the bill. Talen from Thailand, Land [...]

Tiger Temple Sues Conservationists Over Abuse Allegations… Thailand’s Tiger Temple has long been involved in controversy, and the complaints are many: Drugging the tigers. Abusing the tigers. Selling off older tigers. Putting visitors in harms way. Breeding tigers unprofessionally. The complaints go on and on… I’ve been to the Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi twice. Both [...]

The tattoo festival is happening this month… Wat Bang Phra Tattoo Festival Saturday, 27 February, 2010 5am (starting time) – 9am (main presentation from the head monk) If you visit Wat Bang Phra during a regular week, you can pretty much expect peace and quiet. And as I’m a softly-softly type of gal, that’s what [...]

Wat Bang Phra… This weekend is the first three day 2010 Bangkok International Tattoo Convention. Ever. Not being up for a crowd (and full of caffeine), I called Khun Pissout (my fav taxi driver) to see if he was free for the day. He was. So as a tattoo substitute, we drove to Wat Bang [...]

Peter Robinson and the SET Foundation… For those interested in reading about the life of a monk in Thailand, Phra Farang (written by a former farang monk), is a worthwhile read. There are many excellent book reviews and interviews around, so I won’t do a repeat here. Yet. What I’d like to focus on instead [...]

Shopping for Xmas cards in Thailand… There isn’t much choice for holiday cards in Thailand. Not if you want to keep away from Hallmarks! There are some fairly dull cards created with photos of Thai murals or such. And you can sometimes find quite ok Thai cards, but not always. This year’s pickings were noticeably [...]