Getting Organized (Updated)

Today when I was doing some writing, I had the sneaking suspicion I had already written it. Maybe not fully, but at least in some part I had put this little portion down into words once already. Today's writing project detailed a little adventure I had while slipping into and out of the country of Laos back in 2009. I knew for a fact that I had written something on this, but where was it? Over the past couple years, I have always taken extra steps to make duplicate digital copies of most everything I had written on some sort of storage device somewhere. I checked the folders here on my PC and scanned both my little flash drives to no avail. I even searched through my old blog entries and drafts online, but came up empty handed. It was then that I remember that sometimes I stored stuff in my Yahoo mail account. I browsed through the files there in my Yahoo notepad, and then remembered "ZUMODRIVE!!!!" It's an online file storage system that Yahoo offers as an add-on to it's mail service. Sometimes it can be a little buggy with service outages, but it had never let me down completely. So, I logged in and BINGO!! There was a whole batch of files that I had stashed away over two years ago! A real treasure trove and a bit of time capsule. I found my Lao article and a few other little goodies that I had forgotten about. So, before I go too much further I will probably spend the rest of the day downloading copies of all that stuff and compiling a proper synchronized backup of all my files and distribute them back out accordingly before I end up with a true disaster one of these days. This little project of mine here has about 200,000 written words of text alone in finished manuscript, notes, articles and outlines. I also have about 2,000 individual photographs as well that probably ought to be backed up synchronized and organized. Keep in mind these are currently spread out over 5 different storage devices, and all contain different things. Should be a fun little project for the afternoon. Wish me luck.

UPDATE: I finally got all the information off of my old ZumoDrive account through Yahoo, and I will say that I no longer recommend the ZumoDrive service. Yes, it is a freebie, but the service is certainly lacking when many other others have much more to offer. A full report will be coming soon complete with some up to date recommendations regarding similar services that actually work and work well.

Steve Jobs on Dogma

I have always been a bit of a computer geek myself, so it was sad to see one of the founding and most influential contributors to the industry pass away. I must say that I am not a huge fan of Apple or its products, but I admire the history and innovation that they have represented. Steve Jobs was a unique fellow, and had some very interesting things to say on occasion. Below is my favorite quote of his. May he rest in peace.

“Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” Steve Jobs 1955-2011

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Competing With the Third World

There is really something disconcerting about knowing that no matter how hard you work or how long the hours are, there will always be a few million people in the third world who will work even harder and longer for less than one 10th of what you are making. Now, thanks to increasing global internet connectivity, those people can now telecommute to the first world, and they do in droves. How do I know this you might ask? I'll tell you. I used be be one of those guys beating the pants off of the western workforce by sitting in internet cafes located in some of the poorest countries in the world. With a cost of living that is much lower than most western countries, the jobs come quick and easy to a well qualified programmer. Especially when that programmer speaks and writes English as their first language.

By the time I left Thailand I was well on my way with a solid clientele list, and a steady stream of projects. This was almost ideal because I didn't actually do any business in the country I lived in. My employers were mostly European and American, and funds were always transferred from online accounts outside the country. So, what made it such a lucrative and busy business for a person in my position?

Salary.com lists the average salary for a web designer in the US to be about $48,000 a year. Not bad eh? That's about $23 an hour. In a staggering comparison, an entry level designer in Thailand with a decent education and skills makes about $6,000 a year. In all actuality, that is a very good income in Thailand even at a whopping $3 an hour! Minimum wage there is actually only about $7 A DAY!! and most can live on that with the comparatively inexpensive cost of living there. I managed to squeak by, and I'll let you know how I did it.

I didn't even have a computer or an internet connection for most of the time. I would simply rent a machine, internet connection, desk, and workspace in an internet cafe for about 30 cents an hour. A full day would cost me about $2 in expenses. During that day, I could rustle up about $10-$20 worth of revenue doing odd jobs such as processing image files for online catalogs, and fixing coding errors in websites. The same jobs that employers back in their own countries would have to pay 8 times the price for and get the exact same results. So, at the end of the day, I might clear at least $7 a day in profit, and sometimes much more. That was already at least the same as minimum wage, and I wasn't breaking my back on a construction crew for 12 hours anymore and risking getting busted by the labor department and immigration. Big Plus!!!

Well, those days are over now that I'm back here in the US for the time being. I'm finding myself back on the other side of the fence, and it can be really dis-heartening at times. It still get plenty of job offers, but most of them I can't even consider due to the cost of living here. For example, I had an offer last week to convert, crop and re-size a batch of several hundred image files of auto parts from PDF to JPG format. No, not the most exciting job, but it was work. I calculated my time and costs and put in a bid that was still far less than most would do it for in this country. I was flat broke broke and needed the money. The guy who got the job and beat me out was actually in India and took on the week long project for the equivalent of $50. It's a little hard to compete with that. I wouldn't even consider it for that amount of money here, but for him that was a good week's wages and food on the table. Heck, back in Thailand that would have paid my rent for two weeks!!! Now I find myself not even bothering to bid on those jobs just because it's not even worth my time here.

So, what's the solution? Not really sure yet. I have picked up a couple small jobs from firms that are staunch "non-outsourcers" but even they only want to pay half of what they should for my time. In this economy, money is tight, and what little there is to go around for us bottom feeders tends to go overseas. I didn't mind it so much when I was on the receiving end of those funds and living an inexpensive lifestyle in a foreign country. Now that I'm back in the "real world" it really starts to pinch a little bit. I was getting very used to making the equivalent of about $200 to $300 a month and living quite comfortably. It seems that here in this country these days it takes at least that amount to make a car payment just so you can get to work.

Well, there you have it. The challenge I have been facing this past few weeks as I try to find some sort of stability here. I just keep pushing along. It's been a long strange ride, and something tells me it's not over yet.

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A Special Thanks to all my Readers

I've had a few people snooping around the blog here wondering if I was still alive, so I though I would make a quick post. I'm still trying to settle in and figure out where I belong, but I just wanted to take a moment and say a special thank you to all those readers who have come along for the ride in both the digital world, and a few in person. I would certainly not be alive today if it had not been for many of you who have encouraged and followed me along the way. So, without further ado, a heartfelt thanks goes out to all my friends, family and readers in the following countries. The order is simply by number of visitors and readers. Nothing personal. I appreciate each and every one of you.

United States
Thailand
Spain
United Kingdom
Germany
Switzerland
Japan
Australia
Sweden
Hong Kong
Singapore
Taiwan
Vietnam
Brazil
Russian Federation
Finland
Malaysia
Philippines
Bahrain
Mexico
France

It would not have been possible without you. It's been quite a ride, and it's not over yet.

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Red Shirts Revisited (Video)

I talked to an old friend today who reminded me of some events from over a year ago. It was in regards to the red shirt riots in Chiang Mai, Thailand following the attempted overthrow of the government by the UDD. I wrote about this back in May 2010 when it first happened (original article). I remember being there in the thick of it after most of the smoke had cleared. I contacted another friend of mine as I remembered that he was even closer to the action and got some great photos. He sent me a link to a video he made with his photos. I used to live literally right around the corner from where all this took place. It was a spooky few days with fires, explosions, riots, military in the streets, and city wide curfews. Thanks to my buddy Mick who was brave enough to get into the middle of it all and get some amazing photos. Below is the video and photo compilation with an appropriate soundtrack from the Rolling Stones.

Thinking About the Future

I look at the road I've traveled in the past two years, and also the road ahead. Both seem equally as fraught with danger and hardship. Coming back to America has proved to be as difficult if not more so than my adjustment to living life on the run as an illegal immigrant and migrant worker in Thailand. As strange as it may sound, I had accepted that role, and had done what I could to make the best of it. As I begin to get my senses back here and overcome the culture shock and travel fatigue, my mind often turns to the memories of the last two years and how seemingly incredible and far away they are now.

I have done a great deal of writing over the past two years. Some of it has ended up here in the blog. Some of it is saved in digital files online. And, even more still is on paper as I often was only able to scribble down notes as I lived and worked in some of the most remote and dangerous conditions. I've now had a few days to look at some of these and realized that it is quite a story. I compiled most of these together and have begun piecing and tying them together in a timeline format.

For every post I made here on the blog there are at least three more stories and experiences that I never had time to relay. I had even given up on blogging for a long period of time until my arrest and court case started back in March. There are portions of the the story and my experiences that I believe do need to be told. There are others yet that I probably will never speak or write about again as long as I live. Having personally and first hand witnessed the world that very few ever see, I feel that some of these do need to be told. In the time I spent there, I saw the absolute beauty and kindness that the culture has to offer. In contrast, I also witnessed first hand and up close the darker side of the third and developing world. Organized crime, government corruption, human trafficking, prostitution, migrant worker exploitation, prisons, the aftermath of civil war, and how people just keep moving along despite the greatest of odds.

Now that I have finally made it back to the states, I literally don't have a penny to my name. However, I do have something much more valuable. I have this story to tell. I have put a great deal of work in recent days into compiling my notes, fragments and fully written pieces. To my surprise, it currently totals over 60,000 words already. I am seriously considering formatting and finishing it into a full manuscript. I expect that if completed it will easily top 100,000 words. I paid dearly for these experiences with blood, sweat, bone, and tears. Some of which will be forever etched on my body and mind. My only hope is that I might be able to put them to paper and pass them on. As I fought my way through the last two years, there was one thing that kept me going. That one thing was that I had not yet told the incredible story of where I had been and what I had done and seen. This thought kept me from doing the unspeakable on many an occasion when things seemed the darkest.

It seems that the time may have come to finally tell the story. It's all I have, so I might as well make good use of it. Let me know your thought and ideas as I further explore this possibility. I have plenty of time to write at the moment, and have been averaging 2,000 to 4,000 words a day as I do my best to document the strange journey that I have been on.

As always, take care of yourselves and each other.

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Another Week on the Road

It's been a long week and I've managed to go about another 600 miles. I had the intention of closing the blog for a few days while I did some organizing, archiving, and cleaning. That never happened and I ended up back on the road before I had the chance to put it back online again.

Nevada was clearly not agreeing with me, and it was definitely time to go. After two years bouncing around in third world countries, the great state of Nevada seemed like a post apocalyptic disaster zone. I certainly hoped that the rest of the country wasn't this way. As with every country there are going to be poor and desperate people somewhere. Being one of those people myself, I had become accustomed to a certain code of honor when it came to the treatment of those around you. That code was virtually non existent in what I saw once I got back to the states. People seemed just as likely to beat or rob each other as they were to offer each other a helping hand. Now I remembered why everyone here feels the need own a gun. An unpleasant feeling.

So, it was time to hit the road once again. I made my way out of Nevada and east into Utah. From there I travelled north until I started meeting people who seemed to be a little less "freakish" and showed a little compassion for each other. There have still been plenty of interesting characters along the way, but much less dangerous ones. I am now visiting an old friend near the Utah/Idaho border and trying to recover once again. I am getting ready to put in a little work to help repay him for his kindness and try to pay forward some of the good karma I received on this last leg of the journey.

Once again, I keep creeping a little closer to where I came from, and I'll have to decide soon whether or not I can dive back in, keep moving, or just lay low. Tough choices, and I'm sure some of you may be hearing from me soon as contact becomes a little easier to make. For the time being, I am safe, can think through my options, and hopefully come to a workable solution. I had to do the same thing two years ago under similar circumstances, but on the other side of the planet. Now, it's back to square one on this side again.

All the best to everyone out there on both sides of the planet. Be good to yourselves and most of all each other. I'll report more as soon as I am able.

A New Understanding

I did my best to get back on the road and make my way south yesterday, but didn't get too far. I collapsed on the side of the road after 4 miles and had to spend the last few dollars I had on a flophouse hotel near Henderson Nevada. The jetlag is still getting to me, and I have been trying to come to terms with leaving my home in Thailand and coming here to be surrounded with all the dysfunction of the western world. Today I watched a couple of crackheads beating each other bloody on the side of the road over a drug deal gone bad when I was going to the mini-mart to buy some Ramen noodles. There are plenty of things wrong with the place I just came from, but I never saw this kind of violence on a regular basis. Last night, I had some guy pounding on my door looking for his drug dealer that had this apartment before I did and I found a ton of drug paraphernalia when I checked into the room. Not pretty.

Even with all it's faults, this place I checked into does have WIFI. I've been able to access Facebook, email, and what not with my funky Japanese laptop that I got from a discount second hand store in Thailand before I left. The keys are all in Japanese, but I got the OS running in English. As long as I just type and not look at the keys it's fine. There was a reason it was dirt cheap.

I was able to get a SKYPE call into Thailand this evening and talk with a few friends. This was a huge help in my morale even though more than a few tears were shed in the process. It was nice to speak Thai again for a little bit and share a few moments with good friends. I finally understand the plight of many immigrants who come here with hopes of making money and then have a hard time adjusting. Many Thai people try to immigrate to the US, but about 80% always end up returning to Thailand eventually because they have trouble making the cultural adjustments. It's no fault of their own, and I can now understand how difficult that process can be. It is a night and day comparison between cultures.

That's all for me right now. Still looking for work, and hoping the best.

As always, take care of yourselves and each other out there.

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Day Two Back in the USA

Still jetlagged, still unemployed, and now flat broke. How's that for a homecoming? I know that I was facing an indefinite prison term in a Thai jail if I stayed in Thailand. I am grateful for all those who helped me in my time of need, but I can't help but wonder which of the two evils is the lesser.

Today was another few dead ends looking for work, and tomorrow I will be on the street again, in a quite literal sense. I've done my best to find my way around here in this city on foot. It's a bit bigger than what I'm used to, but not impossible. I've done my best to source assistance where I can, but there's alot of people here that have been doing the same for a good long time before I got here.

Tomorrow I will be back on the road. I'll check out of my hotel and get my $100 deposit back. From there I don't quite know what's next. I have found a weekly rental for a few dollars more about a mile away, but that might just be prolonging the inevitable. I need to get moving and see where the road takes me.

I know that with the whole court case in Thailand, it was far from an easy situation to be in. With that said, it's hard to believe right now that three days ago I had a home, a job, and a life. Sure it wasn't ideal, but I had some stability despite the legal troubles. In my deepest heart of hearts I am truly sad to have left all that behind. I had found a sense of inner peace there despite all that I had been through. My heart aches and I feel a deep sense of loss.

Right now I need to remember the teachings I received there and do my best to plug along. I learned a long time ago to stop chasing "wants" and go after "needs" per my Buddhist teachers. Wanting things only gets you into trouble because you can't take it with you when you're dead. Making yourself a better person is the true goal, and it will come back to you. Since I have been living this lifestyle, I have seen some amazing things happen. I don't want to start a religious or cultural debate, but I will tell you that the other half of the world believes in the "Do unto others" philosophy despite never having read a Bible. It's just simple math.

I know one Burmese guy that never got down about anything. The Thai Government had deported him several times, but he kept getting back in. I crossed a few borders with him back in the day and not once did I need a passport to do so. Little hard to do from here, but I learned something very important from him. That one thing is "never stop moving forward. It's the only direction you can go". Time will not wait, it is a constant in the universe. Actions are what determines your path and time sets the pace. You have to either keep up or get the heck out of the way.

Now it's my turn to decide. I have to either keep moving forward or get out of the way. Not an easy choice, but forward looks like a good option. It's a small miracle that I'm still alive today. Surviving America will be the next step.

Sorry for the long blog post, but if you got this far I thank you for reading. I'm not sure when I will have the chance to post again, so I wanted to make the best of it while I could.

As always, take care of yourselves and each other.

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Repatriation Part 2

Late last night I finally made it into Las Vegas. The jetlag is near crippling, and I have no time to adjust. My head is pretty fuzzy and emotions are running wild. Just trying to function at this point is tricky. My energy level is running at the lowest it's been in years. I remember this feeling, and I remember that I really don't like it much. Trying to put it into words is even difficult. The only thing I can compare it to is that it's like going from the frying pan to the fryer. I'm trying to stay positive as I run down potential employment. I'm too tired to move and too broke to stop. What a combo.

The one thing that it is really difficult to get my head around is the cost of living in the fryer vs the frying pan. In the last 24 hours that I've been back in the states, I have spent more money than I did the last month in Thailand. Here's a quick comparison if anyone is interested.

Taxi from the Airport to the low rent district:

Las Vegas - $39

Chiang Mai - $3

Cheap Hotel in the low rent District:

Las Vegas - $30

Chiang Mai - $5

Quick Meal on the street:

Las Vegas - $5

Chiang Mai - $1

I could go on, but I think you get the picture. The real indicator of what things were ahead was the money exchange in Korea. There I was, all cashed up and going home. In my hand I held just a little over 10,000 in Thai currency. A large sum of money for most of the people I know. It was time to turn it into US Dollars. So, what does 10,000 Thai baht get you in US dollars? About $300 bucks ...OUCH!! For what I will end up spending in the next few days, I could have paid the rent on my apartment in Thailand for 3 months!! That's a hard thing to come to grips with.

More updates coming as soon as I can.

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Repatriation

Last minute delays and scheduling changes have thrown a monkey wrench into the works, but I am now back in the US. The flight from Korea landed on time in LA, but there were no gates open to offload the plane. With less than an hour to change planes already from the international to domestic terminals, it just wasn't in the cards. Delta was willing to reschedule my flight, but it will be later rather than sooner. Still waiting to see how that's going to turn out and where and when exactly I will end up.

At this point I have now been awake and traveling for nearly 36 hours. Here's the schedule so far. I am extremely exhausted and just trying to put one foot in front of the other.

3 Hours: Chiang Mai Police Station, Chiang Mai THailand

9 Hours: Immigration Control, Chiang Mai Thailand

2 Hours: Chiang Mai International Airport Immigration office

4 Hours: Korean Airlines flight 668 to Seoul Korea

7 Hours: Incheon International airport, Seoul South Korea

10 Hours: Korean Airlines Flight 17 to LAX

????? Hours: Los Angeles International airport

I tried to do my best to anticipate and prepare myself for "reverse culture shock", but I had no idea how it would affect me. It is intense! I truly feel like a fish out of water. I did wander by the LAX international boarding terminal earlier this afternoon and passed a couple Thai buddhist monks on the sidewalk outside. I gave them the usual greeting in thier own language and customs and they just about fell over in astonishment! We had a nice brief chat in Thai about thier favorite temple sites in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. That was about the most normal I felt all day. I bought a hamburger just for the heck of it and it was horrible. Adding insult to injury was knowing how much it cost. Same as a weeks worth of food where I had just come from. There is a Thai food shop here in the airport, but the prices were more than the lousy hamburger. Definitely not the same as what I'm used to.

More updates as soon as I can.

Hitting the road

It's down to the end game for me and the Kingdom of Thailand. I will be flying out in just about 24 hours of this post. After nearly two years, I must admit that leaving this place is going to be bittersweet despite the hardships I have had here. This country, it's culture and it's people saved my life when I was in my darkest hour. For those who remember the "old me" from those days, it wasn't a pretty sight. I've come a long way since then, and returning to the states makes me a bit fearful of slipping back into that place. I've got to be strong and stay focused to make this transition back into western culture and society. I could probably write volumes at the moment with all the thoughts running through my head, but I will try to keep this short and save the rest for the book.

I currently have a flight leaving the Kingdom Thursday night, but as of yet, I still have not been able to get my passport back. I am hoping another trip to the police station in the morning will resolve this once and for all. It's an essential piece of this puzzle that has to fall into place within the next 24 hours or the whole thing falls apart. I am fairly confident that things will go smoothly tomorrow, but I've been told it will be a full day of paperwork and formalities. I call it the "Thai tap dance" where you run around government buildings from office to office and get papers stamped signed and what not.

More news to follow soon, and the next blog post will most likely be from Korea as I make my first pit stop on the way back to the US.

Stay safe out there everybody and be good to each other.

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BREAKING NEWS!! New Court Order

I just got word this afternoon that my paperwork is finally finished at the courthouse. Today is Friday, so they have requested that I come in and pick it up on Monday the 22nd. I don't have much more detail than that at the moment, and I probably won't until I actually get there and get the court order handed over to me.

The most likely scenario is that I will be picking up the paperwork on Monday and may need to arrange a flight on the same day. I will need to personally deliver the court order papers to the local police who still have my passport. The US Consulate here has agreed to help coordinate with the local police to ensure what hopefully will be a smooth transition of paperwork and protocol. I am still unsure of whether or not I will be taken into custody again while they sort out the next step, but I have my fingers crossed that I will be able to act on my own behalf through the process.

Bottom line is that I could be on a flight back to the states as early as Monday or Tuesday. I have a lot of mixed emotions going through my mind at the moment, and just trying to stay focused on the task at hand is certainly not easy. Money is still pretty tight for getting a ticket out, but it looks like I might just squeeze through. It's going to be close.

More news will be up as soon as I get it.

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Smuggled Dogs Rescued From Slaughter By Thai Authorities

Saw this on the local news here last night. Details from The Huffington Post and video from Reuters below. Disturbing stuff, but an all too common occurrence here.

Over one thousand dogs intended for consumption were rescued by Thai authorities on Thursday evening, reports AFP.

Four trucks were stopped in the Nakhon Phanom province of northeastern Thailand. According to the Daily Mail, police swooped in with two raids near the Laos border. The trucks were stacked high with dogs stuffed into tiny cages, and 119 dogs were already dead.

According to a Nakhon Phanom livestock development official, the dogs died either from suffocation, or from being thrown from the trucks when the alleged traffickers tried to flee the scene.

The dogs were being sent across a Laos river and into Vietnam. Police case officer Captain Prawat Pholsuwan told AFP that two Thai men and a Vietnamese man have been charged with trafficking and illegally transporting animals. The men face a maximum punishment of one year in jail and a fine of up to $670.

According to police, traffickers are known to round up stray dogs in rural Thai villages, and sell them for up to $33 per dog in Vietnam.

The Daily Mail reports that these dogs were “destined to be cooked and eaten.”

According to the news source, there are 13 countries that still consume dog meat. In Indonesia, the Batak Toba culture is reportedly known to cook a dog meat dish named “saksang."

In April, hundreds of dogs were rescued from slaughter in Beijing, China thanks to a group of animal activists. According to the Associated Press, the activists blocked a truck transporting the dogs, and negotiated for their release in exchange for $17,000.

While most reactions to these incidents are ones of horror, and many cultures are disturbed by the thought of eating a dog, some have asked -- what is the real difference between eating dog meat and cow meat? Or eating any other animal for that matter?

While the condition that these dogs were found in is considered atrocious, many other animals face similar mistreatment in the United States.

Earlier this summer, Mercy for Animals, a Chicago-based animal welfare group, unveiled to the public undercover videos of livestock mistreatment.

The Associated Press reported that in the video, “sows are shown in small cages, known as gestation crates, that limit their ability to move, and workers are shown castrating piglets and removing their tails without anesthetics…There are repeated shots of workers tossing piglets across a room.” The Huffington Post

Paypal Refunds on Donations

Sometimes it really feels like everything is working against me lately. Today it's Paypal who doesn't seem very helpful. I have issued refunds on most recent donations made to my account. Paypal has a policy that without a current bank account or credit card on file with them, I cannot send or transfer any funds. I have not had either one for nearly two years. They just now figured that out and placed sending restrictions on my account. An hour on Skype and several emails got me nowhere, so I had no choice but to start issuing refunds. I had previously always been able to transfer funds to a friend's Paypal account here who could in turn move it to a Thai bank account and withdraw in cash accordingly. This is no longer an option. I had no way of moving the funds out of the account, so refunds have been issue for most recent donations.

I have taken down the donation buttons and legal defense fund page. DO NOT send any funds or donations to my Paypal account. It will be useless and any payments will be immediately refunded as I have no way to transfer the funds to Thailand or anywhere else for that matter.

My mood is not good at the moment, as I get closer and to the inevitable deportation. Thankfully, some local friends have chipped in some as well, but this puts a huge dent in my fund to get out in one piece. I'm not sure how I'm going to address this, but if anyone has any ideas, I would be more than happy to hear them. After all this time and all I've been through, I think I would be used to setbacks by now, but it never gets any easier

This week, I got a temporary reprieve from deportation due to a national holiday. It's the Queen's birthday today and subsequently Mother's Day in Thailand. Three and four day weekends for most government offices. From the sound of things at the courthouse earlier this week, everything will be back on track and up to speed on Monday. It's a small miracle that my deportation order has taken this long, but I am pretty sure that my luck has pretty run out on delays.

Adding to it all is the voice in the back of my head is constantly reminding me that once I get out of Thailand, then the really rough stuff starts.

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Flooding in Northern Thailand (again)

Once again, heavy rains have brought flooding to us here in the Northern provinces. Local TV news video is below. Sorry, no translation, but the images should give you an idea of what things are looking like. Makes me glad I live on the 4th floor of my building.

Harsh words from the Chinese

It's no big surprise, or at least it shouldn't be for most Americans. The US owes a ton of money to the Chinese. About $1.1 trillion dollars to be exact. When it comes to foreign investors, China has more money invested in the USA than any other country. That's not in the stock market mind you, that is in US treasury bonds.

Today's announcement by the S&P about the US government's downgraded credit rating has caused quite a stir on this side of the planet. The full effect is yet to be seen when the markets open here on Monday. In fact, the Chinese downgraded the US' credit rating nearly a year ago when they saw things heading south.

Today's statement from state run Xinhua News Agency said:

"China, the largest creditor of the world's sole superpower, has every right now to demand the United States to address its structural debt problems and ensure the safety of China's dollar assets,"

"International supervision over the issue of U.S. dollars should be introduced and a new, stable and secured global reserve currency may also be an option to avert a catastrophe caused by any single country." cnn.com

I never thought I would see the day when the almighty US dollar would be a less than desirable currency to have.

Now for a few numbers:

Americans make up only 5% of the global population but consume 25% of the worlds energy

The Chinese make up 19% of the global population and consume about 19% of the world's energy.

On average one American consumes enough resources to support 13 Chinese (or 370 Ethiopians)

It's no wonder they have come forward and given the U.S. a "stern talking to" about it's inability to maintain it's ridiculous level of spending and placing the rest of the world on a slippery slope.



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"Falang" the Thai word everybody should know

Please enjoy the following language related piece. I wrote it some time ago, but just now getting around to posting it.

For those who have never had any experience with Thailand or Thai language you've probably never heard the word "Falang" or "Farang". They are one and the same due to the way "R's" and "L's" get spoken here. Either one can be correct depending on which area you are in and who you are speaking to. The word simply has one meaning "Foreigner". More specifically, if you are a non Asian person in Thailand, or even Laos for that matter, you are a "Falang". The term itself is not derogatory, but can quickly turn that direction depending on the tone or nature of the conversation.

Here in the bigger cities there are a fair amount of us foreigners and you hear the term quite often in conversation. They could be talking about the guy next door or the guy at the 7 eleven buying a soda. I've often learned to just tune it out. The real difference comes into play when you get into the smaller cities and villages. I spent a lot of time in those smaller places last winter up on the northern borders of Myanmar and Laos. When I hear the word "Falang" there, I automatically know they are talking about me. Why? Because I'm the only one. I usually listen in for a bit, but I do get a kick out of jumping into the conversation if it turns derogatory. I've seen many a wide eyed Thai person start shaking in their sandals when I approach them, and ask them (In Thai) why they are speaking badly of me when they don't even know me. It got to point a few months ago after spending so much time in small Thai towns that I started to think "Falang" was my name. They couldn't remember my name, but in those places "Falang" was just easier because I was the only one. I did what I could by reminding them of my name, and that my name was NOT "Falang". Most were quite kind about it. Many good friends there still jokingly call me "Falang" when I get up to see them. They greet me with a smile and say "Sawadee Falang!!". I usually jab right back and greet them as whatever nationality or tribe they are from to complete the joke.

There has been some debate as to where the word "Falang" came from. I've heard them all. Some were fairly correct, and some were just downright ludicrous. I tend to favor the notion that the French were actually responsible for it. They may not have invented the word, but they did inadvertently bring about it's creation. To understand why, you first must learn about the Thai language, alphabet, and pronunciation. Certains sound from the English language simply do not exist in Thai. Some do exist, but only in certain places in words. One that has amazed me for years is simply that the Thai language has NO words that end in "S". They also don't have any words ending in "N". The only ending "N" consonant also has a "G" sound for an "NG" on the end. On the other hand, they have several different "R's". Not a one of them sounds like a common English "R" and most are a rolled "R" that sounds closer to an "L". There alone, you have most of it together already. The third ingredient is the common use of a vowel sound in most words starting with a consonant. For this reason Thai speakers will often include an extra vowel in English words when attempting to speak them. For example, "Stop" becomes "Sa-Top".

So, there you have it. The basic ingredients for the word "Falang". Now you might be wondering, what in the heck did the French have to do with it? Quite simple actually. The French were some of the first to colonizing this area back in the 19th century, and were the first Caucasian people seen by most here. French people (of course) come from France. Ask any Thai or Laotion person who speaks little or no English to say "France" and you get "Fah-Lang". Add the "A", change the "R" to an "L", put a "G" after the "N" and drop the "S" altogether. Just take the above Thai vocabulary rules, apply them to any English word, and there you have what I like to call "Tinglish". It's an odd mix of English with Thai vocabulary rules mixed in. I do speak a fair amount of Thai, but I also "Sah-Peak vely good Ting-lei".

Now that we have the language lesson and fun facts out of the way, I will get down to why I both love and hate this word "Falang". It is because it taught me about racism in other countries and also sometimes the lack of it. For the last two years I have just been "The Falang". Not American, French, Canadian, or Danish for that matter. Here, we are all seen first as the color of our skin and lumped all into one category. Even the Chinese here are called by their own nationality. They are rarely called "Falang" even though the dictionary states that they are. In some small way, I do have an understanding now of what it's like to be singled out simply by the color of my skin for whatever reason.

That's all for this post, and next time you are in Thailand don't forget that they are actually calling you "French" when you get off the plane regardless of where you came from. Most locals don't even realize it. The word itself now has it's own set of inflections and distinct pronunciation that clearly set it apart from it's origins, but the relationship is clear. I'm sure somebody will come along and refine and/or dispute my thoughts here. I'm no expert linguist, but I know what I hear, what I speak, and can see how things fit together after a while. Thanks for reading, and if you are reading this there is about a 90% chance that you yourself are just a "Ting Tong Falang".

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Tentative Travel Plans

Just the end of another weekend here. I'm still alive, still kicking and still waiting. I've been keeping a close eye on flight patterns and prices going back to the states. Prices seem to bounce all over the place. Not knowing when exactly I will have to go makes it nearly impossible to plan for, but I just try to watch the schedules as they fit to the needs I have. Here's what I have so far.

First of all, (due to deportation regulations) any flight I take cannot land anywhere in the kingdom of Thailand as a layover. That alone makes it a bit tricky, but I have found an alternative to flying through Bangkok down south.

Korean Air #668 flies from here in ChiangMai to Seoul, South Korea....and cheap! They only do it twice a week, but they do make the flight on Thursdays and Sundays. This flight number is pretty certain, and will most likely be my first step back.

Step two will be from Korea back to somewhere (anywhere) in the states. I will most likely be getting whatever happens to be affordable and available at the moment. That is the part that has my head spinning at the moment trying to find the flight numbers I might need. The three front runners on price alone at this point are Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Honolulu.

The one thing that I have to consider is that I will be hitting the ground running with maybe a few dollars in my pocket when I get back. Getting back in one piece is priority one. Priority number two will be finding work so I can stay that way. Honolulu is probably going right out the window due to the cost of living. So, most likely it will be L.A. or Vegas. Neither of which I am particularly fond of, but beggars can't be choosers. My chances of finding some work and making a little money are a bit better there.

Flight prices are ranging anywhere from $900 to $1,600. That is a HUGE divide. I can probably pull off the $900 flight, and have seen a few of those deals come and go already. As always, it's going to come down to the wire and what is available on the day I have to go. It's really driving me up the wall not being able to act on this and having the whole thing up in the air. For now, I just try to keep up on the latest info.

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Mental Preparation

As it begins to look more and more like I will be able to leave Thailand, I have made it a point to try and catch up on news and events back in the states. In hindsight, that might have been a mistake. Holy cow!!! The federal government is running out of money. The Justice department is running guns to Mexico. People are just randomly opening fire in skating rinks, casinos and car shows. Oh, let's not forget the Casey Anthony fiasco. What on earth is going on over there? I guess I'll find out for myself soon enough.

I do get some English speaking news channels here. The two I get most often are FoxNews and AlJazeera. Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum. It's pretty bad when I get better unbiased news from AlJazeera than I do from so called "fair and balanced" Foxnews. I guess I just see the world and especially America in a little different light these days. Just like anything else, it helps to stand back a little and get a view from the outside looking in.

As for my current status, I checked in with the courthouse again this week regarding the posting of the court documents and my judgement back to the local police who still have my US passport. The answer was the same "one or two weeks" that they have been telling me for nearly three weeks now. My contact at the US Consulate attempted to negotiate a planned exit, but was stonewalled by the local authorities. Once again, I just get to sit and wait. I am beginning to think my landlord is in cahoots with the court. I think she wants to make sure she gets one more month's rent out of me before I get shipped off and she can rent the place twice for one month. Yes, I am joking of course, but anything is possible here.

Depending on what flight I can get on short notice when the paperwork goes through, I may or may not have enough to get out. I am trying to stay optimistic, and am very thankful to all who pitched in to at least give me the possibility of getting out in one piece. There are still a few hoops to jump through here, and once I do get back then the real challenges begin. I was having an interesting conversation with some Thai friends the other night. They reminded me that for the price of a plane ticket to the states, you can build a small house here. Irony indeed.

That's it for me in the here and now. As always, be good to yourselves and each other out there.

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Gratitude, Appreciation, and Clarification

I have been a bit overwhelmed this week as friends new and old have rallied around to help get me out of here. It's been about a 50/50 split between the US and Thailand as far as those who have pitched in to help get me home. I am amazed and incredibly grateful on many levels. I want to reply to everyone personally who has responded and helped. I will get it done as quickly as I can, and hope you can accept this temporary statement. I'm currently basing my communications out of a small internet shop in the Chang Phuak district of Chiang Mai, Thailand. The PCs and keyboards are all in Thai, and many websites only display in Chinese, but I am making due. Hey, that's what you get for 30 cents an hour.

I have an appointment with the US consulate here on Tuesday thanks to some prodding from my good friend Pete back in the states. I should have a slightly clearer idea of how things might play out after that. The financial goal for getting a ticket out is getting closer and thanks to some sharp travel advice from some local fiends it may not cost as much as originally anticipated. It's still going to be a tricky piece of business getting all the pieces put together, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel now.

I have been getting a few questions lately about my legal situation. Yes, it is a bit bizarre. I know. I will try to spell it out in simple terms. All the information is also here in my blog over the last few months as well. Some of it has been encrypted due to the fact that there was an ongoing court case at the time the posts were published. Now that the court case is finished, I can speak a bit more freely. I will do my best to answer the most frequently asked questions below.

Why were you arrested? I was playing a guitar in a restaurant with some friends. I was not being paid, but the simple act of utilizing a skill of any kind outside your home can be considered work under Thai law regardless of whether or not you get any compensation. In this regard I was technically working with out a permit and the police were within the law when they arrested me.

What were your charges? I was charged with working without a permit and not having a valid visa

What is the status of your case? CLOSED!!!! I entered a guilty plea on both counts. I was sentenced to 2 years probation and paid a fine. I paid the fine and promised to be a good boy for the next 2 years. Any problem with the police in the next 2 years gets me an automatic jail sentence.

Why are you facing jail time if your case is closed? I am facing jail time again simply because I cannot get home. Thailand is deporting me (kicking me out) for immigration violations, but they are certainly not going to give me a ticket back to the states. Thai law states that I must be returned to my "country of origin". I have worked hard to support myself here on this side of the planet, but the average salary of most people here is less than $200 a month. International travel is not much of an option for most.

Hope that answers a few questions, and as I stated before there is much more detailed info here on my blog. Those were just the most common, so I thought I would clarify them as best I could.

Tragic Day Around the World

With the tragic and violent events in Norway, Seattle and Texas over the last 24 hours, I am sadly reminded of how truly frightening this world can be.

Here in Thailand there has been a ongoing tragedy as well unfolding this week. Last week the Thai military lost a Huey helicopter in a dreadful crash near the Myanmar border in an attempt to extract 35 soldiers from a remote jungle area. All five personnel were lost. On Tuesday they sent in a Blackhawk to recover the bodies. It also went down killing all nine aboard. Today the third recovery attempt was made with a Bell 212 helo. It has gone down also killing 3 out of four crew members on board. Royal Thai Army Channel 5 (yes they have their own TV station) is reporting that the crashes are all weather or instrument related and insists that they were not shot down. Truly a sad series of events for these men and their families.

On another note, we have been getting new reports about human rights injustices in nearby Myanmar. Even with as difficult as things have been for me here in Thailand, it is nothing compared to what goes on just across the border a few hours away. I would certainly not want to be facing jail time there. Civilian prisoners there are now being forced to work as porters (human donkeys) during military operations, carrying heavy loads of ammunition and supplies without adequate food or shelter. Those who are unable to carry are used as human shields and mine sweepers. I've spent alot of time talking to the refugee population here, and have seen and heard some horrific stories over the last couple years. Makes me feel pretty lucky sometimes.

I do have some status updates on my own struggle that I will be posting as soon as I have more information. For now and as always, take care of yourselves and each other out there. The world is a pretty scary place sometimes.

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Hurry up and Wait

If there's one thing Thailand is good at, it is making you wait. We jokingly call it "Thai Time" here. It used to be annoying, but I got used to it after a while. This seems to be the only place in the world where you can show up 2 hours late and still be an hour earlier than everybody else. This has actually worked in my favor on several occasions here in this whole ordeal, but the waiting does get really old sometimes.

At the moment, I am allowed to walk the streets temporarily, but that is only because of the kindness shown to me by one very nice police officer. He knows I'm not a flight risk, and he does still have my passport after all. Once the court paperwork is processed, I will either need to have a ticket out or go back into custody. I have been trying to be proactive in staying updated and checking in on the status of everything. Today I made another trip out to the courthouse to see what the paperwork status was. Ordinary Thai people are lovely in the way that they never seem to want to say "no", give you any bad news, or tell you they just "don't know". They really are trying to "save face" and also make you feel better most of the time, but sometimes a straight answer is the best option even if it may not be what they think you want to hear.

Finally, word from the court clerk was that the documents are "Not Finished" and she doesn't know exactly when they will be. She did however give me a phone number to call direct and avoid the traffic to get out there every time I need to check something. At the moment, I am still trying to organize funds and a plane ticket back to the states. As soon as the paperwork does go through, I will be either deported or jailed depending on whether or not I can afford to get out. It's still a pretty tricky game. I will probably have only a matter of hours to book an international flight and get a police escort to the airport.

For now, I keep trying to stay current airline flight patterns and prices to find the best way out. It is a very specific set of circumstances that the local immigration police need to see before they will allow me to leave.

1. No layovers in Thailand which means no cheap re routes through Bangkok from here in the North. I may have to get bounced through Korea or Taiwan again.
2. Final destination in the USA

From there they couldn't care less what happens to me. I'm still not sure where in the states I might get dropped, but it looks like it will probably be the western half because it's closer. Likely possibilities could be Seattle, Los Angeles, or San Francisco. It's all a matter of what's available and what I can afford when the time comes. I'll be arriving without much more than the clothes on my back and a couple bucks in my pocket. About the same as when I got to Thailand nearly two years ago. But hey, if I can pull that off here in Southeast Asia and still be alive two years later, I think I can handle it.

Ticket to Nowhere

I really didn't imagine myself being able to post from here in Thailand again, but after all the strange stuff I've seen here, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.

My court case is finished. I entered a guilty plea on all counts, and was sentenced to a fine and two years probation. I paid the fine at the courthouse, and was turned back over to the police who are still in possession of my passport. It all sounded too good to be true. That's because it was. As I suspected and have written before, my case is being handed back over to the immigration authorities. They will be detaining me for deportation.

In the midst of everything, I have had a few strokes of good luck. First of all, I am able to write this message today because the paperwork has not yet been processed. The local dept policeman who I've dealt with through this whole ordeal has been a pretty decent guy. He told me that he could keep me locked me up until the paperwork was done, but chose not to. He also told me that he appreciated my promptness over the last four months in showing up every time when asked. So, I have at least a few days of freedom before I go back behind bars for a third time.

Now on to what will happen in the next few days once all the court paperwork is processed. In a case like mine, Thai law says that I must be deported to my "country of origin". They certainly aren't going to foot the bill, and I don't exactly have the kind of money laying around for a ticket out. I've got about enough for a bus to Burma, but certainly not enough for an airline ticket around the world. At the moment, I have two options. Buy a one way ticket to anywhere in the states, or submit myself for an indefinite lock up till I can.

I've tried to explain this time and time again both here in my blog and emails at various times over the last couple years. Some people get it. Some don't. Yes, it's a kinda screwy system, but it's what I'm stuck with.

So, here's what I need:

A big pile of money to buy a one way ticket to the U.S. (yeah right..just a little joke). On they day they call me in, I will need to have a paper ticket in hand bound non-stop for the US. If I have that, I will get a police escort to the airport and they will put me on the plane. Without that, it will be back to the shackles and it could take months or years before I get the chance again.

Seriously though, at this point my only hope is going to be the US Consulate here, and this is where I do actually need some assistance. If they are able to get me out and ship me back sometime in the coming months or years, they will need a delivery address and contact person on the other end. So, who wants to take a special delivery? Please email me with your current information if you are willing and or able ASAP so I can get the information to the Consulate before I go back in sometime in the next few days.

So, there you have it. I'm happy to have the court case finished, but dreading the idea of leaving everything behind that I have worked so hard to get only to be dropped penniless into one of the most expensive countries on the planet. Such are the breaks, but we just take what we can get I suppose.

As always, take care of yourselves out there and each other. Tomorrow is always still just a mystery.

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Final Blog Post

The time here is getting short. Very short. I have done my best to upload what files I can and make arrangements for what few things I needed done here before I am taken back into the custody of his majesties finest. I have notified the US Consulate here as to my current status. They thanked me for the update, wished me luck, and said "have a nice day". I didn't expect anything more than that. I do have a little help with the translation and interpretation details tomorrow. It's not ideal, but between my Thai and their English we will have to make due. I just want to make sure I have an understanding of things as they play out in the coutroom.

It doesn't look pretty, but in the grand scheme of things, it hasn't looked great for a long while. I'll see you all on the flipside of somewhere. Exactly where that will be, I still don't know. Thanks for the memories everyone.

To all those who I've met along the way: I was honored to have you met you and shared a small piece of my life you.

To all those I have recently managed to re-connect with: It was also an honor, and I deeply regret the circumstances surrounding the regained connection.

To all future readers: Please do not read this blog and it's archives and get any ideas about future plans for yourself. The path I have taken on this journey has been most dangerous, difficult and even life threatening. It has been fraught with heartache, disillusionment, and despair. Yes, I made some incredible and profound progress in understanding myself and the world around me, but the emotional, physical, and mental price has been immense. This price has nothing to do with money. You pay for it in blood, bone, muscle, scars and tears.

For all the thoughts in my head, I have little more to write about at the moment. I have volumes that I would like to speak, and only a few minutes and paragraphs to put them down to words. I wish all of you the best. Take care of each other out there, and most of all, be true to yourselves.

Signing off indefinitely,
Matt - Expat-Matt

Updates July 07, 2011

Not too much that I can report today. Internet access is getting harder and harder to find here in this neighborhood. There have been some things going down behind the scenes, but nothing directly related to my own case. I've got about six days now before my next court appearance. My understanding is that it will be my time to appear before the court and officially enter my "guilty" or "not guilty" plea. I have been advised to enter a guilty plea on the work permit violation and hope for a light sentence. If I fight it and lose, then I can expect them to throw the whole book at me. The outcome if it were to go to trial is still unknown, but without any legal representation my chances are quite slim.

Entering a guilty plea on the 13th will send me directly to sentencing on the same day. I will have to serve what ever time I am given and pay any fines. Once those are completed, I will be handed over to the immigration department and I start the whole process with them while under lock and key. They will be wanting to collect a sizable amount of cash in fines for the overstay of my visa, and then will want me to come up with a plane ticket out of the country so they can deport me. I don't have that kind of money, so they will probably just have to keep me in IDC (immigration detention) indefinitely. I have thought a great deal about that outcome, and have somewhat come to grips with it. Nothing more I can do at this point.

I have also thought a lot recently about my experiences over the last 2 years. When I came here, I was on death's door and just begging for somebody to put me out of my misery. Since then, I have been through a great many changes. I've fought tooth and nail to survive here any way I can and endured hardships that I never even thought possible. I do still think it's a bit ironic that after two years I was finally getting back on my feet and now this whole mess happens. In the end, I suppose I should be thankful. It's been an unreal and incredible journey that gave me two more years on this earth when my days were clearly numbered at the start.

Many thanks go out to all who have helped me along the way. I couldn't have done it without you. If it had not been for a select few friends from countries across the world, I would certainly not have survived. For that I am thankful. You all know who you are, and I'll never forget. It's nearly time to close the book on this chapter. The next is a mystery. I will try to get online to check email and make another post or two before the big day rolls around. Take care of yourselves out there.

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Thaksin party wins Thai election by a landslide

By Jason Szep and Martin Petty
BANGKOK | Sun Jul 3, 2011 10:54am EDT

http://www.reuters.com/

(Reuters) - Thailand's opposition won a landslide election victory on Sunday, led by the sister of former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a triumph for red-shirt protesters who clashed with the army last year.

Exit polls showed Yingluck Shinawatra's Puea Thai (For Thais) party winning a clear majority of parliament's 500 seats, paving the way for the 44-year-old business executive to become Thailand's first woman prime minister.

"I'll do my best and will not disappoint you," she told supporters after receiving a call of congratulations from her billionaire brother, who was ousted in a 2006 coup and lives in Dubai to avoid jail for graft charges that he says were politically motivated.

"He told me that there is still much hard work ahead of us," she told reporters.

With nearly all votes counted, Yingluck's party won a projected 261 seats with Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's Democrat Party taking 162, according to the Election Commission.

Abhisit conceded defeat. "I would like to congratulate the Puea Thai Party for the right to form a government," he said.

Exit polls by Bangkok's Suan Dusit University showed Puea Thai doing even better, winning 313 seats compared to just 152 for the Democrats, dismal enough to threaten Abhisit's job as party leader.

Yingluck's supporters were jubilant, erupting in roars and cheers as television broadcast the exit polls.

"Number one Yingluck," some shouted. "Prime Minister Yingluck" screamed others, as party members slapped each other on the back.

"Yingluck has helped us and now Puea Thai can solve our problems and they'll solve the country's problems," said Saiksa Chankerd, a 40-year-old government worker.

The results were a rebuke of the traditional establishment of generals, old-money families and royal advisers in Bangkok who loathed Thaksin and backed Abhisit, an Oxford-trained economist who struggled to find a common touch.

"People wanted change and they got it," said Kongkiat Opaswongkarn, chief executive of Asia Plus Securities in Bangkok. "It tells you that a majority of people still want most of the things that the ex-prime minister had done for the country in the past."

The size of Puea Thai's victory could usher in much-needed political stability after six years of sporadic unrest that featured the occupation of Bangkok's two airports, a blockade of parliament, an assassination attempt and protests last year that descended into chaotic clashes with the army.

"Chances of blocking Puea Thai in the near term are severely limited," said Roberto Herrera-Lim, Southeast Asian analyst at political risk consultancy Eurasia Group. "The instability everyone has been worried about now looks less likely. The military will have to be pragmatic now."

RED SHIRT VILLAGES

Yingluck was feted like a rock-star by the red shirts who designated entire communities in Thailand's rugged, vote-rich northeast plateau as "red shirt villages" to help mobilize supporters, each festooned with red flags and Thaksin posters.

"This win is very important because it will determine Thailand's destiny," said Kwanchai Praipana, a red-shirt leader in Udon Thani province, where the movement had set up hundreds of red villages in recent weeks.

The red shirts accuse the rich, the establishment and top military brass of breaking laws with impunity -- grievances that have simmered since the 2006 coup -- and have clamored for Thaksin's return.

Thaksin said he would "wait for the right moment" to come home. "If my return is going to cause problems, then I will not do it yet. I should be a solution, not a problem," he told reporters in Dubai.

Thaksin, a former telecommunications tycoon, scored landslide election wins in 2001 and 2005 and remains idolized by the poor as the first politician to address the needs of millions living beyond Bangkok's bright lights.

Yingluck electrified his supporters, ran a disciplined campaign and promised Thaksin-style populist policies, including a big rise in the national minimum wage and free tablet PCs for nearly one million school children.

Abhisit had warned of instability if Yingluck won, blaming the red shirts for unrest last year in which 91 people, mostly civilians, were killed. They cast Thaksin as a crony capitalist, fugitive and terrorist who condones mob rule.

But Abhisit's denial that troops were responsible for a single death or injury last year was mocked even in the Democrat stronghold of Bangkok. A web-savvy generation could, with a few mouse-clicks, watch videos on Youtube showing military snipers firing on civilians, eroding his credibility.

Abhisit's backers want Thaksin to serve a two-year prison term. They dismiss Yingluck as a simple proxy for her brother.

Throughout the six-week campaign, the two sides presented similar populist campaigns of subsidies for the poor, improved healthcare benefits and infrastructure investment including high-speed rail systems across the country -- a style of policymaking known in Thailand as "Thaksinomics."

The clear majority should make it easier for the opposition to execute those promises but could also fan inflation if they pursue a plan to lift the minimum wage to 300 baht ($9.70) per day -- a roughly 40 percent increase.

The election is Thailand's 26th since it became a democracy in 1932, ending seven centuries of absolute monarchy. Since then, it has seen 18 military coups or coup attempts.

Opinion polls had predicted Puea Thai would win about 240 seats, short of a majority. In that scenario, smaller parties would have been crucial, possibly helping the Democrats stay in power if they had managed to form a coalition government.

Yingluck said her party was in talks with Chart Thai Pattana, a smaller party with a projected 20 seats, to join hands in parliament and provide some breathing space.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/03/us-thailand-election-idUSTRE76013T20110703

Elections are Almost Here

Seems like I can´t walk by a store, news stand, or restaurant these days without hearing or seeing something about the upcoming election. No, I´m not talking about 2012 in the US. I´m talking about July 3rd, 2011 in Thailand. The election here is less than a week away, and it has some pretty big implications in what it can mean for the future of Thailand.

This is the first major election since last year´s riots and attempted overthrow of the government by the UDD. There are so many factors at play here that things are bound to get interesting. This particular election was supposed to happen back in November 2010, but has been postponed multiple times due to unrest and violence. I vividly remember last year´s chaos as we endured riots, bombings, shootings, national curfews, and military patrolling the streets. I will never forget the day I heard the helicopters come roaring in and watched the massive column of black smoke rising from the east end of the city. See original post Hopefully we wont see anything like that again.

Things are feeling a little bit tense here, but everything is just under the surface. Allegations of vote buying and corruption have already begun, and international election observers are being allowed in to monitor the process to a limited degree. Some say that we are on the edge of another coup, but others are saying that the whole thing will blow over without a whimper. There are several ways that this whole thing could go, and I won´t even speculate as to how things might turn out. The entire country is very divided. As they say ¨Ha-sip Ha-sip¨ (50-50).

The military has a great deal of influence and power here and have the ability to overthrow the government like they did back in 2006. It was in 2006 that they performed a military coup. They canceled elections, threw out the current constitution, ousted parliament, arrested cabinet members, and imposed martial law throughout the country. The current military leaders have promised to stay out of the election process this time. Hopefully things will proceed with cool heads and defy the odds. I am already hearing reports of military tanks in the streets over in the northeast, and there has been a pretty heavy presence in the air and on the ground both here and in surrounding provinces.

Miracle Bananas

The following article was received by email the other day. While reading it, I thought back to my own health nearly two years ago before coming to southeast Asia. I indeed suffered from nearly every single ailment on the list (minus the PMS and morning sickness of course). Bananas are now a regular part of my diet, and my health is dramatically improved. I eat alot of them because they are dirt cheap here, and literally grow on trees. I made them a large part of my diet because they are so inexpensive. Although I am somewhat skeptical that they single handedly fixed everything that was wrong with me, I have no doubt they played a role in the greatly improved state of my health today.

After reading THIS, you'll NEVER look at a banana in the same way again!

Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber, a banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes. But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Depression:
According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS:
Forget the pills -- eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Anemia:
High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure:
This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it the perfect way to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Brain Power:
200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation:
High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers:
One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Heartburn:
Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so, if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness:
Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites:
Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves:
Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.

Overweight and at work?
Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and chips. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

Ulcers:
The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature control:
Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand, for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD):
Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.

Smoking:
Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress:
Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes:
According to research in "The New England Journal of Medicine," eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrates, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around. So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"

PS: Bananas must be the reason monkeys are so happy all the time! I will add one here; want a quick shine on our shoes?? Take the INSIDE of the banana skin, and rub directly on the shoe...polish with dry cloth. Amazing fruit !!!

Rainy Day in Chang Puak

Day off today finally, and of course it´s raining cats and dogs. Saturday is usually laundry day, and this one is no exception. Rain or shine, it was time to bag up the clothes and find a laundromat here in my new neighborhood. Luckily, I found one straight away. No matter where you go in ths city, you can always find fresh food, a corner market, a coin op laundromat, and a barber without walking more than five minutes in any direction.

This entire area here is actually proving to be quite interesting. I´m just a stones throw away from Wat Chedi Lok Malee, and can see the spire out my window through the trees. It was built back in 1527, and is actually a pretty interesting historical spot. I did manage to snap of few photos from my window today even though the weather was pretty bleak.

Some interesting things have happened in the legal department this week. Nothing to do with my specific case this time, but involving those around me. One thing I have found in this country, is that nothing is ever set in stone. Everything remains very “fluid”. I will try to post an encrypted status update before the weekend is over.

For now, enjoy the pics from a rainy day here in Chang Puak Discrict. CLICK HERE for the photos.

Moving along

Once again, I am on the move. This time it´s just a temporary shift further into the northern part of the city. In about a week, I´ll be headed even further north to what should be my semi permanent place for at least another few weeks. Things are still up in the air as far as my future here, so putting down any kind of roots in one place is a bit tricky. It´s a dangerous feeling when I start to get comfortable. That´s how I know things are about to get turned upside down again. I just hope for the best and plan for the worst.

I still have some limited internet access, but it´s not great by any means. There´s only one thing worse than not having an internet connection. That is an internet connection that is so slow or unreliable it becomes more frustrating to use than anything else. For the time being, I am back to operating out of apps and docs through a portable flash drive that I plug into a PC with USB and a connection when find one. Handy little item I picked up a few years ago, and managed not to lose so far.

As for the not so distant future, things are still up in the air. I have been trying to learn more about the legal process here and keep myself out of too much additional trouble. I have also had another job offer, but it would require a less than legal jump to yet another country. I´m not particularly a big fan of that idea, but I´ll do what I have to in order to survive if it comes right down to it. On one hand I risk rotting away in a third world prison because I can´t get legal representation. On the other I have another dirty job in another backward place. I´m not really liking either choice at this point. I´ve worked hard to get my head above water here, and the idea of starting all over again pains me to no end.

That´s all for now. I´ll post again when the connection is good enough.

Take care everyone, and be good to each other.

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Thailand´s Got Talent

For once, I have something on a little lighter note. Thailand has it´s own versions of western television talent shows. The most popular lately is "Thailand´s got Talent" patterned after the widely popular British and American shows. As with most of these shows, there always seems to be one "shocker" performance in the season. This year is no exception. The singer is Nuntrita Khampriranon aka "Bell". She is quite talented and has a big surprise for the judges. At 1:05 things get interesting, but you need to see the first minute to fully understand the rest. I found a version with english subtitles and posted it below. The translation isn´t perfect, but you should get the idea.

Now, wasn´t that fun? Had me fooled. What about you?

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The Day after: Part 2

As promised, it´s time for part two. Now, down to business. My internet time here is about to become somewhat limited again. I´ve been very lucky these last few months to have good access while things have been difficult in every other area. An hour of internet access at an internet or gaming shop can cost as much as a decent meal here, so I will need to start making very selective use of my time online. I have done my best to write constantly lately and store up as much information as possible digitally here on the blog. If the worst happens, then this information will continue to post on a predetermined schedule even if I am unable to access my blog or email. Most details will be coming up on this in the very near future.

First it is on to the details that I can make public.

When I made bail, it was thanks to a collection of very good friends here in Thailand. It is thanks to them that I am able to write this very post. This leaves me and them in a very precarious position. They posted 50,000 in local currency to get me out while I await a final court decision. Now that things are taking so long, it has put them into a situation of hardship as well. The bail bond money they posted was intended for children´s school tuition. Having it tied up in the courts indefinitely has made things difficult for them. At some point I may need to voluntarily remand myself back to the courts so they can get their money back and keep the kids in school.

Now for the stuff that I have to keep locked down.

Show encrypted text

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The Day After - Part One

Still no sleep last night as usual. Today I feel absolutely drained. I just keep muddling through. Not much choice. Yesterday´s court dealings and events left me with a heavy heart and a general feeling of despair. The end result yesterday was favorable, but just an overall reminder of how bad things will get. I´ve had it pretty rough at times here in Thailand over the past couple of years. Now, I find myself looking back on some of those days wishing I could go back even though they seemed pretty bad at the time.

I´ve spent alot of time where there were only two objectives to get me through a 24 hour period.

1. How I was going to eat at least once for the day.
2. Where was I going to be able to sleep for the night.

These have always been the two essential goals. I´ve learned a great deal from Thai people from all walks of life. I must say that I learned more from the most desperate and downtrodden than those who who were well off. Birds of a feather I guess. Throughout it all, I managed to find a way and even enjoyed a few periods of relative stability. The only constant that I have found here is change. I must continuously adapt to my circumstances.

More changes are on the way for me here. Some of these, I have known about for a while. Some have caught me a little unaware. It´s always back to priority number one and two from above. As long as I can keep those two things covered, I will live another day. Things always tend to go astray when I plan things too much.

"Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans." - John Lennon

I will have some more sensitive updates in part two of this post. I have a meeting with some "friends" later this evening who may be able to offer me some advice and assistance. Just like anywhere else in the world, it comes down to the struggles between the "haves" and the "have nots". Those of us in the latter category must be prepared to do just about anything when it comes down to self preservation.

Take care of yourselves out there

Court Proceedings Today

Last night I managed to fall asleep by midnight and woke up promptly at 2:00 AM in a cold sweat. That was the extent of my night´s sleep as usual these days. This morning just before 9:00 AM, I made the dreaded walk up the Chaing Mai police station steps again. (photo left) My future, as always of late, was uncertain. I was unsure if this was going to be an official court appearance, just another procedural formality, or a trip to the “monkey house”.

Turns out it was a procedural visit. My case has officially been handed over to the court system, and the police needed to release my bail so that I can be bailed out again under the court system and not the police. A rather ridiculous procedure, but it took most of the day.

First, it was the paperwork shuffle at the police station. A meeting with the “good lieutenant” was my first stop. Then it was to the bail office to authorize the release of my bail. Next it was upstairs and the accountant to get the actual bail check. This process went around in a circle for the next hour or so. Back and forth, up and down the stairs until everybody had all the forms filled, stamped, signed, and what not.

The next part was going to be a little more tricky. Everything (including myself) was to be transferred to the courthouse near the town of Mae Rim. I was ushered out the side door and shown to my ride. A beat up diesel pick up truck with a steel cage on the back. It was already crammed pretty full with Burmese refugees. Thankfully, the court officer (aka “guy in white T-shirt”) was easily convinced to allow me to follow the truck on motorcycle with a friend. Once he saw that I had already been out on bail for 2 months, he allowed it. However, he did carry the bail check with him as assurance.

After arriving at the Mae Rim courthouse, the paper shuffle started again. This time it went much quicker. The courts accepted the paperwork, and issued me a little blue card with my next date of appearance. I was all the way back out into the parking lot when “white T-shirt guy” came running after me. I thought to myself “UH-OH, that was just too easy.” Seems that the police station didn´t address the check properly, and it needed to be changed. Surprisingly enough, he handed me the check and asked me to take it back to Chiang Mai and get it fixed. Oh, believe me, my imagination ran wild but I did the right thing and made the trip to the city and back with the check.

By the end of the day, the court “officially” accepted the bail money, and I was on my way back to Chiang Mai. Today was certainly a struggle with procedural and language issues. I made it through, but this is still only the tip of the iceberg. I have come to realize that I am horribly inadequate and ill prepared. People keep asking me who my attorney is. When I tell them I don´t have one, the response is always the same. “Are you crazy???!!!”. No, not crazy, just out of options. I can either pay an attorney now or pay my fines later. Neither of which I have enough savings for yet and I will still be looking at considerable prison time either way.

I have a much better idea now of how this will play out. Most of this is however very sensitive information regarding myself and those around me. I will be releasing it in several password encrypted posts over the next few days. Many things have come to light today, and I´m feeling pretty down at the moment. Maybe an hour or two of sleep tonight will do me some good.