Would you learn English here?

Thinglish is a wonderful language. Thai grammar and limited English vocab brought together to communicate with farangs.

You see a lot of signs like the above, this one made me chuckle because it is for an English Language School.

Joking aside I am very grateful for Thinglish and the Thais natural disposition to be friendly and outgoing to foreigners. Virtually everywhere you go someone will know a few words of English and every menu you come across has English translations. This contrasts with my Tokyo experience which proved almost impregnable.

Waitrose Products Everywhere!

Following on from my post the other day when I was shocked to see some Waitrose cereal on the shelves of my local Tops supermarket; I was in the Central department store food hall on Thursday, and I came across this entire aisle of Waitrose biscuits.

Once I started looking a bit more closely there were Waitrose products all over the food hall. It obviously isn't so unusual to see a slice of John Lewis here in Bangkok!

Erawan Shrine

Five weeks in and I finally did my first cultural activity since arriving in Thailand!

Yesterday John and I visited the Erawan Shrine. The Erawan Shrine is of the Hindu God of Creation, otherwise known as Brahma. It is a very important site for Thais and a popular site for people to pray at the beginning of new chapters in their life (e.g. having a baby, starting a new business....)

The centre of the shrine is the golden four faced Brahma. You can see me with incense sticks and candles and the golden statue in the background. John and I made the offering of a candle and incense at each face of the Buddha.

I found some less cheesy photos, plus info on the shrine here.

Film Club

For the last few Wednesdays I have been meeting my friend Camilla to have dinner and watch a film.

Unfortunately we haven't had a good run of films recently! We have seen Revolutionary Road, which I didn't find particularly engaging and it is very melancholy.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, was my favourite of the three films we have recently seen. It is pretty long at two and a half hours, but I think they do the reverse ageing of the characters very well and I found the story reasonably interesting.

Last night we saw Confessions of a Shopaholic. I don't mind the odd chic flick, but this was dull to the extreme. At the very least I was hoping for a lot of cool New York views that I could recognise.

I don't think that there are any good films being released this Friday so I might skip watching a movie next week. The only other film that is out at the moment that I might consider seeing is Milk. Would anyone recommend it?

A-list party: Not so hot

Last Thursday I was kindly given a guest list invite to what is touted as Bangkok's hottest club, Bed Super Club, to see a fashion show and a live performance by the Fox Project.

I have to admit that I didn't really enjoy it. The place was packed, yet didn't really have an atmosphere. John remarked the other day that I have started to think in Thai Baht, which meant that I found the drinks eye wateringly expensive. The fashion show was ok, but not that hot either.

The highlight of the evening was the live performance by the Fox Project. (Who I must thank for my guest list spot and I don't want to sound ungrateful towards!) They gave a great live performance of three of their songs.

I think I'll be sticking with the not so chic clubs going forward....

Not something I was expecting to see

I've just been to my local Tops food court and supermarket to do some shopping and buy some lunch. As I was wondering round the aisles I was shocked to see a range of Waitrose cereals on the shelves. This 1kg bag of oat crunchy was going for nearly £10!

I was really surprised to see the cereals there. They didn't seem to be carrying any other Waitrose products and Tops is not a high end supermarket chain here in Thailand.

Project Swimming Pool

When I arrived in Bangkok the swimming pool at my apartments was closed for refurbishment.

I have been taking daily photos as they have been working on the pool and made this little video montage.

It is currently still closed while they do some cleaning and put all the chemicals back in the water. I can't wait for a swim!

Singapore: The verdict

Taking a career break was supposed to give me time to reflect on what I want to do next. So far I haven't given a lot of thought about WHAT to do next. To slip back into banking would be all too easy, but would I find it fulfilling?

I have been thinking about WHERE. London, New York, Sydney and Singapore are all contenders for various reasons in my mind.

Visiting Singapore last weekend was a chance for me to road test Singapore and try and create a more formed opinion of the place.

The positives
- One of the few places in Asia where I could get a decent paying job relatively easily. The same could probably be said of HK, but I have never been there.
- Possible to get all creature comforts.
- Great food. The hawker centres are real gems.
- Easy to escape to Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand for the weekend. Well connected by low cost airlines.
- English is widely spoken. I know this is only on the list for lazy people, but it does help integration...
- I have a number of friends who live there.
- The sense of order and lack of litter, graffiti etc... are all good.


The negatives
- The humidity! I am learning to handle the heat here in Bangkok, but the higher humidity in SGP was a killer.
- You can travel the whole of the island in a day. Is there enough to keep you stimulated?
- Apart from some historic temples, there didn't seem to be a lot of culture.
- The place is almost too pristine / sterile. Is there too much order?

I was left feeling a bit neutral about the place, which on reflection I have decided isn't a good thing. A friend who used to live in Singapore described the place as "Asia for beginners" and "lacking culture". I think Singapore might be best viewed as convenient springboard to the rest of Asia rather then a destination in itself. I might return to Singapore as an option, but at the moment the search continues.......

Ideas for the underground: Could it work in the UK?

Mobile phones work on both the Thai and Singaporean underground systems. Not just on the platforms, but in the tunnels too.

When this has been suggested in the UK, my initial reaction has always been strongly against. I think it could be infuriating to have people bellowing "HELLO, I'M ON THE UNDERGROUND!"

However, it hasn't got on my nerves once while I've been here. People often seem to have their phones on vibrate and speak very quietly when they are talking. I haven't heard anyone shout even once.

I'm still not sure it would work in the UK. Are the Brits socially responsible enough not to be a real pain to others? Would we implement it correctly so that there was a decent signal strength and you could talk quietly? Or am I just being melodramatic?

Tunnel TV on the other hand I think could be a good addition. It would give you something interesting to watch during your journey. Small cameras on the outside of the train project images onto the walls of the tunnel as you speed along.



Both the Thai and Singaporean underground systems have air conditioning. But I am realistic enough not to expect that any time soon in the UK.....

Singapore: The Tourist Trail

Little India
When I arrived on Friday, Jess and I popped down to Little India for a look around.

The area is filled with shop houses as they are known locally. Essentially two story buildings, brightly painted. They have a certain charm given to them by the feeling of faded glory. Unsurprisingly the area is home to the best Indian food in Singapore. We strolled through a market selling saris galore and lots of Indian food stalls.

We also visited the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, which is one of the oldest Hindu temples in Singapore.


Jones the Grocer
Sunday was my final chance to pack in the tourist sites of Singapore and I think I did pretty well!

The day started with brunch at Jones the Grocer where I had agreed to meet an ex-BarCap colleague who is now working out in Singapore. It is an Australian cafe and deli in the finest tradition of Sydney cafes. Those of you who have been to (or live in!) Australia will know good the Sydney cafe culture is. I had the breakfast BLT and it was an excellent start to the day.

China Town
After brunch we went for a walk round China Town. China Town nestles up against the skyscrapers of the financial district, but still manages to hold onto it's heritage with more shop houses, lots of market stalls and a hawker centre.

The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple dominates the centre of China Town.


Big Bird
After China Town we wound our way down to the waters edge on a loop towards Raffles.
Located in Boat Quay Big Bird is one of Singapore's more quirky statues.

Merlion
The symbol of Singapore is the Merlion. Half mermaid half lion, it presides over the Singapore harbour. It was interesting without being imposing or captivating. However, the Singaporeans seem to be devoted, so I made pleasant noises!

We finished with a Singapore Sling in Raffles. Sipping away while eating monkey nuts and throwing the shells on the floor. The Sling was a little sweet for me, but it is one of the things that has to be done while in Singapore!

The photos from my Singapore weekend are here.

Singapore: Part 1

I had an action packed weekend in Singapore. I'm planning a couple of posts to update you on the delights of Singapore.

Night Safari
On the Friday evening Jess and I went to the Night Safari. I haven't been to a zoo since mum and dad took me to London Zoo when I was still at Primary School!

The Night Safari is set up as a major tourist attraction and there were hoards of visitors waiting to see the animals. There is a tram which drives you round a 45 minute loop of the zoo and is the easiest way to see the main animals. We saw elephants, rhinos, lions, giraffes, hyppos, several types of deer and many other animals on the tour.

Some of the animals looked a bit drowsy and they were all neatly perching or grazing under the soft lighting of their habitat. For some of the animals there were no obvious enclosures or fencing preventing them walking onto the road or otherwise wandering off. I have a few nagging thoughts as to whether all the animals on display are noctunal? If there is something in their feed making them all so placid? How does the zoo conjur that they are all present and awake on demand?

I did a quick Google and I couldn't find anything damning, except a few grumbles about their live shows. Perhaps the fencing was a lot more subtle than I realised and my suspicions are completely unfounded.

In addition to the tram there are two / three walking trails where you can see some smaller animals and enclosures that are not visited by the tram. As I had agreed to meet some other friends later in the evening we only had time to do one of the walks. The zoo also had a couple of shows on each evening which we uinfortunately had to miss.

I think it was worth the visit. Unlike me I would suggest that you spend the whole evening there to view everything on offer.

Clarke Quay

After the Night Safari we headed to Clarke Quay, a central hub of bars and restaurants popular with expats, tourists and locals. I was meeting an eclectic mix of friends from JPMorgan, BarCap, New York and friends of friends who are all now living in Singapore. Artur, pictured, and I were on the grad scheme at JPM together.

We started in the Tapas Tree for some dinner and then moved onto China One. Prices are bordering on London's West End which came as a bit of a shock to this unemployed loafer who has become accustomed to the cheap prices of Bangkok!

We had a great evening in China One. There was an excellent live band who did a couple of sets of covers. Their first set was based in 1994/5 which was around the time I started getting into music and therefore great for me. Their second set was of hits from the last year or so. When the band weren't playing there was was a DJ keeping the dance floor packed.

We got chatting to a group of people at the bar next to us, one of whom told me they worked in Islamic Banking while knocking back a vodka. I assured them anonymity!


I have uploaded my photos from the weekend here.

Chinese Wedding Extravaganza!

The whole reason for my mini break from Thailand to Singapore was for the wedding of Ee Poh and Xueyan on Valentines Day. I love attending weddings in different countries and cultures as there are always nuances and differences to the traditional UK format that I am used to.

The church service was at midday and was a Christian ceremony held at the Thompson Road Baptist church. As I had been warned the night before the congregation turned up both very casually dressed (a number of people were in jeans, t-shirts and flip flops) and were fashionably late. Being 15 mins early and in a shirt and tie definitely put me in the minority! The Bride knowing the form arrived 30 mins late. If I was getting married I'm not sure my nerves would have been able to stand the wait!

The service was more or less what you would expect from a lively Christian wedding back in the UK. There was singing, prayers, a sermon, the exchanging of rings and the signing of the register. The wedding was bilingual with everything translated into both Mandarin and English. There were less Bible readings than you would expect back home and the Bride and Groom made a short speech at the end of the ceremony.

After the service there was a buffet lunch in the room underneath the church, followed by a break until the evening reception..........

The evening reception was held in the swish surroundings of the Ball Room at the Four Seasons Hotel. Upon arrival you had to sign in, find out where you were seating and hand over your red envelope if you were giving the Bride and Groom a gift. I caused a little consternation by buying the happy couple a Thai Valentines card that also happened to have a red envelope. It was bigger than the standard red envelope and wouldn't fit into the box.

The reception was focused around an eight course banquet. There were 300 guests at the reception, which was more than were at the church, reflecting the higher importance of the banquet in Chinese weddings. Again people were fashionably late. Shirts were more prevalent, but ties were still in the minority.

The evening was compared by one of Ee Poh's groomsmen. Again everything was announced in both Mandarin and English. The groomsman was of Indian decent and spoke Mandarin which caused greast amusement. I think more for his broken accent than what he was actually saying.

A slick video montage of the bride and groom getting ready and of the church service, was played before the couple made their big entrance into the Ball Room. It was then onto the main event of eating! The most unusual course was shark fin soup, a luxurious (and I think looked down upon by some in the West due to animal welfare issues) dish usually served at weddings.

There were two dress changes, a photo with every table and a second big entrance by the happy couple into the Ball Room. As soon as desert was finished people started leaving for home. The main focus of a British Wedding Breakfast, the speeches, were much less important.

A great day and a wonderful experience.

Raffles Hotel, Singapore Sling

I've got lots to update on after my weekend in Singapore. Here is a little teaser of me enjoying a Singapore Sling in the Long Bar of Raffles Hotel with my friend Jess.

More stories soon...

Off to Singapore

I'm flying to Singapore tomorrow for a long weekend to attend my friend Ee Poh's wedding. I think it's very romantic to have a wedding on Valentines Day!

I love going to weddings in different countries as they are always differences to the traditional UK wedding that I am used to back home. A full report will follow next week!

I'm also going to meet up with a few friends who live in Singapore while I am there, one of whom I haven't seen in around 4 years.

Enjoy the weekend!

Learning Thai

My Thai lessons at TLA language school are continuing. As today I have been studying hard (little afternoon nap was also required due to going out clubbing until 3am last night), I thought I would give you an update.

We spent the first three days having the tones and vowel sounds drummed into our heads. There are five tones in Thai:
Mid - no change in pitch. Surprisingly hard. Have you ever noticed how Brits subtly go up at the end of words?
Low - the pitch drops about four notes (if you were playing it on a key board) while you speak the vowel sound.
Falling - you go up and then down to where you started during the vowel.
High - opposite of low. You rise about four notes during speaking.
Rising - you fall and then go up back to where you started.

Words with multiple vowels will have multiple tones, turning them into tongue twisters e.g. ruler is may (high) - ban (mid) - that (high).

Unsurprisingly the same word pronounced with different tones means different things e.g.
khaaw - with a falling tone is rice.
khaaw - with a rising tone is white.
I am sure there are lots of comedy examples, but I haven't got there yet.

There is no standard translation of the Thai script into the western alphabet. Ask two different people how to spell a word and you will get two different answers, which can also be confusing!

After the first three days of vowels we have started to learn some grammar and how to ask basic questions.

I am hoping to learn some useful tourist conversational vocab e.g. how much is this? I would like a room for two people? can I have a bowl of pork noodle soup? etc.... I am assured this is coming next week!

As a class we go out for lunch each day to a local restaurant. We started off ordering in English and are now in broken Thai with the waitress. Hopefully by the end of the four weeks the Thai will be a bit more fluent!

I have even bought some index cards to list all my vocab to study!

There are claps of thunder in the air. It hasn't rained since I arrived three and a half weeks ago, but I think we are about to be in for an almighty storm........

10th Feb Update

I'm in danger of not posting for the first time on my travels, so I thought I would share a couple of recent eats with you.

I had my first Thai Hot Pot the other day. You get a clay pot of broth bubbling over hot coals accompanied with some raw chicken, fish, noodles, vegetables and herbs. You then poach your own food to your liking. Lovely.


There is a crepe stall that appears at the end of my road each evening. Here is me indulging in a chocolate and banana pancake. There are no Thai words for pancake or chocolate, so it is pretty easy to order as you can speak English!


And finally, without sounding too over indulgent, here is a photo from a couple of days ago that I am rather pleased with. I think the work in the gym is improving my posture (usual slouch is absent) and my stomach is flatter.

Bowling!

I’ve been bowling twice in the last week and have won three out of the four games that I have played! I think this was down to luck and, I hate to say it guys, the (lack of) quality of the opposition.

When I was bowling in Thong Lo part of the gutter on our lane was broken, producing a ski jump effect. We had gutter balls coming back into the lane, flying up to hit the advertising hoardings above the pins and even go into the neighbouring lane!

Thai Massage

Last night John, Puk, Ann and I were all feeling a bit lethargic, stiff or had general end of week fatigue, so we decided to go for a massage.

John and I usually pop to our local Tesco Lotus to have a, relatively quick, 45 min back and shoulder massage. However, we ventured further afield to try somewhere that John had seen which was offering two hour full body massages for 200 Baht (that’s only £4!!!).

We were given loose fitting cotton trousers and tops to change into. Luckily there is no photographic evidence of us sporting the Thai fisherman look. We spent two hours being slowly massaged, pulled and manipulated. They start with your feet and slowly work up the legs, arms, lower back, shoulders, neck and head.

I really like the Thai yoga massages. They are not always a pleasant experience as you are being manipulated quite forcefully at times, but you feel a lot looser and fresher afterwards. I was pleased that I have been doing some flexibility work in the gym recently as it meant my range of motion was a lot better.

The experience ended with a cup of green tea and four rather sleepy and relaxed people heading out for dinner.

Problogger

I’ve just read this book:
Conclusion: I won’t be making any money from blogging.

Updated: At the request of Blue Eyes here is a quick summary of the key points from the book.

The book emphasises that there is no quick buck to be earnt from blogging and that it takes a long time to build up a blog with sizeable traffic.

First comes building a blog with fantastic content. Focusing on a niche topic, writing regularly, having unique, structured and easily readable posts, with catchy blog titles are all suggested.

Once you have a good blog you need to attract an audience. Methods suggested for doing this include; building a strong network of links, offer quizzes and prizes, comment on other blogs in your related niche, use social networking sites, try to search engine optimise, promote reader participation and joining a blog network. Understand your audience.

Once you have a large audience there are two ways suggested to make money from blogging:
1. Direct – advertising, sponsorship, affiliates commissions and paid reviews.
2. Indirect – freelance writing, speaking engagements, consultancy opportunities and book deals.

Buying and selling or “flipping” blogs can also be a way to make money from blogging.

How about that for some reader interaction? Reciprocate Blue Eyes and give me a plug over at your place to send me some traffic! ;-)

Pantip Plaza

The other day John and I visited the electronics mecca of Pantip Plaza. I heard about this place from my friend Blue Eyes, but didn’t really know what to expect.

There are five floors of wall to wall electronics. Ranging from the market stalls selling the TiPhone (bears more than a passing resemblance to the iPhone) and many goods of dubious origin. On seeing a westerner the market traders shout “TV series, movies, software? Over here!”.

There are also a large range of more official shops selling all the cameras, computers, music systems and all the peripherals you can think of. If you don’t look gullible and know enough Thai to barter, it can be the best place in the city to buy cheap electronics.

There were a number of Bhudist monks wondering around Pantip. I have visions of the darkened back rooms of temples being packed full of computers and monks running ecommerce empires! Is it a correct use of alms to be buying computers? How does buying pirate software sit with their moral code? I’m sure they must get good prices. It must be bad karma to rip off a monk!

Back to school

I started my Thai classes this week, at the TLA School in Bangkok. It is proving pretty difficult at the moment!!

I am there for 3.5 hrs every morning for the next four weeks. My impressions of the school so far are pretty good. The class sizes are small, the teacher seems reasonable and everyone is friendly. Oddly there are lot of nuns from a Catholic Convent studying at the school too!

We have spent the first three days focusing on learning the different vowels, tones and some of the consonants. It is completely mind boggling and I am finding it very difficult to get my head round hearing all of the different tones and vowel sounds. It is very alien to the western ear.

Tomorrow we start learning some vocab and phrases for the first time. Hopefully it will start to get a bit easier!

Tech Advice Needed: Broken Pixels

Last night a vertical yellow line has appeared on my laptop screen. It is almost exactly in the centre of the monitor. Any ideas what this is? I am fearing that it is a row of broken pixels.

I have done a bit of Googling, but so far nothing concrete has been returned. My only thought is that power has stopped getting to that particular row.

My laptop is 4 years old, so getting anything fixed under warranty is out. Being a laptop it is difficult to do much yourself and I fear expensive to get the professionals in.....

Isaan Street Food

Last night John and I went to the street stalls opposite our apartments for dinner. The stall we went to specialises in Isaan food. Isaan being a province in northeastern Thailand that borders Laos.

We ordered a som tum salad, duck larb, pork omelet and a gaeng jued soup. We asked for everything mai ped (or not spicy) as the food can be fiery. Although obvious from my white skin, I pointed out that I was a westerner to reinforce the not spicy request.

When the food arrived it was amazingly flavoursome and ferociously hot. We sent the som tum salad back, but having waited so long the duck larb we persevered.

The sweat was running off me and we went through three bottles of water. The chili had completely stripped our mouths, so we didn't even attempt the soup, fearing the hot broth would send us over the edge.

It was amazing food, but I don't think I will be going back until I have built up my chili tolerance a bit more.

My new hit single!

Most people are vain enough to have Googled their own name at some point. Searching for Richard Elliot brings back a lot of info on an American Saxophonist and I get to live in blissful anonymity (which has its definite advantages).

Now that I'm unemployed and need to make some money I'm going to release an album and see if I can get a few sales by people thinking the album is by the "real" Richard Elliot. Put a photo of a saxophone on the front and I should be laughing.

I spent the whole of yesterday in the studios of GMM Music here in Thailand recording with my friend John.

I was amazed how long it takes to record a single song and how hard the artist and engineer have to work. When you've done ten takes of the same thing (I know you can't believe I didn't get it right first time) it can drive you crazy trying to decide which version is the best!

After almost nine hours in the studio, a couple of take away orders and a short nap on the sofa later, we were finally finished. I'm hoping to sell the song to a big US studio. They might even use it in a film.

Bangkok Fashion II: Eye enlarging contact lenses

Hot on the heels of my post on bulldog clip fashion, I have a second observation of Thai fashion that seems to be a real trend at the moment.

You can buy contact lenses that enlarge your iris and make your eyes look bigger. I’ve no idea why you would do it, but lots of people seem to want to!

Khao San Road

On my previous visits to Thailand I have consciously avoided visiting the backpacker mecca of Khao San Road. Last night I took the plunge………



It was crowded and bustling. Every shop trying to out do their neighbour by having a brightly coloured sign that juts slightly further into the road than their competitors.

There was everything that the hedonistic tourist could need. Bars, tattoo parlours, food stalls, travel agencies, street hawkers, hostels and lots of gift shops. The bars were helpfully advertising “we don’t check ID” and “cheap strong drinks”.

I can see why some travellers get caught up in the Khao San road. However, I think its sad if you go to another country and only hang around with other tourists and don’t experience the culture of a place.

Abandoned Towers

You can see these forlorn towers from the car park of where I am living. Apparently construction was halted during the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis.



I know that we are suffering global economic problems again at the moment, but I’m quite surprised in the last 10yrs no one finsihed the construction. They are going to look ever more depressing in the future if they are left in their current state for another 10yrs.