Updates: This week

This week was busy once again but with less writing homework to correct as my afternoon class finished on Tuesday. The following three afternoons were spent with a private student at home preparing for the exam on Saturday (she called straight after the exam to say that she was pleased with it and hopeful of getting a Band 6.5). There is a buzz around the school lately with the planned move of the office to another floor coming up next week. Exciting and successful times for NC.

On a personal level, it seems to have been a time to catch up with friends.. having had coffee with Gez (I did Thai lessons with her), catching up after moons of silence with my college friend Carol and seeing how suprisingly similar our lives are, lots of friends activity on Facebook (yeah.. getting slightly addicted there), having dinner last night with some of Amandio's colleague friends and having a good old natter with a Balinese friend, offloading some relationship hiccups on Sandra's shoulders (thanks babe), two hours chatting with friends/neighbours by the pool yesterday and becoming a character referee for Isla (now job hunting in Scotland)..oh, and this morning getting an email from a friend of hers who she lived with in Lisbon saying that she has been discreetly enjoying my blog for ages (that deserves a mention, thanks :)

Despite all our saving, I couldn't resist buying a new dress on sale (in above photo) for 10euros yesterday... naughty me.

I also want to wish Mary Louise, Julie and David a happy birthday.

Updates: Emails

Back to the office today after having almost a week off. I tore myself out of bed extra early today to teach the staff for an hour before my lesson started at 10am.. only to hear that because it is such a short week this week they decided not to have a lesson! Huh.. could have had another hour in bed :-( Well, I decided to kill time by checking my email at work.... (I occassionally go there to check it..... but most of my work emails are sent to my gmail account too) only to discover that all the passwords had changed. I hope that there is nothing wrong.... I finally managed and found these photos that a student from the last writing course had sent a few weeks ago. This was a lovely group that just clicked inexplicably and I do miss them terribly.... However, after they do the exam it is always good to hear that they have got what they wanted and some do check back now and again to keep in touch.... Well, I am rambling now.. off to mark some essays.. Love you all loads ;-)More updates later..trying not to fall so far behind.

Updates: Privates

Wow.. have I been neglecting my blogging duties or what? When I am old and grey browsing through my former glory years, there will be this huge gap. Well, what can i blame it on this time.. hmm... work. Yes, that is always a good one. Actually, in my own defense, I have been really busy lately. I finished developing the writing course and it has been tried and tested by several teachers (still quite a bit of modifying to be done) and has been commended by many in student surveys as the 'best writing course in Bangkok'.. There, that is good for the old professional ego! To top it all off, I am in demand for private teaching too. It started off as a once off, then when it was put on the grapevine (both at the school where I work and universities) that I am taking privates.. whoooshh.. an avalanche of requests. My work at my company is still my first priority and my director is aware of my plans.

Plans?? Well, we have finally agreed on a date to start the IVF treatment - mid June! This gives me a few months to rake in the dosh. I have made our smaller guest bedroom into a classroom.. with whiteboard and all! It is the coolest thing to have this at home...a real luxury. Of course, this also means that later when I am pumped with hormones to stimulate my ovaries or in a condition where not too much movement is advisable - I can work from home and not die of boredom. I am so excited about the whole thing. Our apartment is bombarded with anxious students who want to excel in the IELTS exam and know from past students at my school that I have a good success rate. The great thing is that they are all really dedicated.. the work is intense.. but very rewarding this way. I may need to hire another teacher to help out..LOL!

Amandio is well.. actually there seems to be an epidemic of headhunters contacting him lately... mostly with things that aren't interesting.. but.. watch this space ;-)

We both have a few days off now. It is Songkran, Thai New Year this weekend.. I have decided to avoid the mayhem of street water fights this year.. We've stocked up on goodies, DVDs, a new book, and have Food-by-phone at the ready if we want to order some takeaway. The doors are heavily barrackaded, entry and exit permited only to battle weary students in the mornings (who have to fight their way here)... or if we want to play tennis or swim in the pool.

Having a chance to catch up with all my correspondence is great.. Facebook, poetry and video sites.... I'll have to neglect them again in the next few weeks as I will be teaching all day every day until IVF D-day.

Oh.. and for a VERY entertaining read.. check out the blog Wanderlustisla (my friend from Scotland) and her adventure in an Ashram in India over the past three weeks. A thoroughly enjoyable read if you are in the mood for a bit of fun character descriptions and whacky experiences.

Food: Cajun Shrimp

salted butter
olive oil
6 cloves garlic
3 diced onions
1 cup celery
1 cup green bell peppers
1/2 cup red bell peppers
2 cups white wine
1 pinch cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves
2 tsp cajun spice
1 cup tomatoes
3 tbsp of tomato paste
2 tbsp fresh parsley
2 tsp fresh thyme
1 lbs large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup of dried shrimp
3 Tbsp of chives



Place the butter and olive oil in the pan over medium heat and add the minced garlic and dried shrimp. Cook, stirring frequently, until it softens. Add the onions, celery, green and red peppers and cook until the peppers are slightly soft. Add the wine and tomato paste. Stir in the salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, bay leaf and Cajun spice (to taste). Cook slowly adding wine/water if necessary. Add the tomatoes, parsley and thyme. The sauce can be made to this point and kept warm or overnight. When ready to serve heat the sauce and add the shrimp. Cook until they are pink and firm. Serve over Jasmine Rice and top with the chopped chives.

Updates: Valentines

Chinese New Year has come and gone.. it was very uneventful in Bangkok this year as we are still mourning the death of the King's sister (dressing in black and white and no festivities). We did have a dinner party at home for twelve friends (Phil's leaving for Spain for a few months - I know.. any excuse for a get-together). A great night was had by all and only ended at 3am.. felt the effects (getting old!).

Isla arrived from her trip around Asia the same day. We had a

fantastic few days together doing some retail therapy, much to Amandio's anguish :-) Chatuchak market, Suan Luam (night market) and China Town were our favourite haunts, splashing out (modestly) on new bikinis, sun dresses, tops and cotton trousers and several necklaces and earings..oops! She has now gone to Koh Lanta for some sun and beach therapy taking the sleeper train there, which by all accounts is a very safe and relatively comfortable way to travel on a budget. She is coming back next Thursday for one night before joining her mother and sister in India - what a life! :-)

Today is Valentines Day so for all you romantic lovers .. have fun

:-) We don't really play along with the marketing ploy that marks and has ruined the tradition of this day.. afterall, shouldn't a woman get flowers and special attention ALL the time! LOL.

My private lessons are going really well and the ladies have decided to up each lesson to 2 hrs.. which means four hours a week 'che-ching' (how do you spell that!!?). Speaking of which gotta go prepare my lesson for this afternoon and tonight.

Updates: Ages!

Gosh.. it has been ages since I blogged. I have finally joined Facebook though in the interim - I am still stumbling around in the dark, not really sure what I am doing, besides of course getting into contact with old friends which is loads of fun. I have been warned that it is addictive.. but so far, I'm not really into the time consuming links, games and activities... for now anyway. I have enough to do with my blog, dailymotion and poetry sites....

I have started a second job - teaching conversation and grammar to four high-so Thai ladies privately (royal connections). It is very well paid so I intend to put that money aside 'to buy a baby' :-) (IVF). It does disrupt my week a little as the lessons are on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and makes for less flexibility to go off on long weekends for a while.

Isla is coming back from her month's SouthEast Asian Tour on Saturday so I am really looking forward to spending some time doing girlie things with her in Bangkok - shopping and spa are definitely on the cards. Unfortunately though, our plan to go off to an island to do a diving course fell through due to my new job. SOB! Priorities I guess (this is the financial opportunity we had been waiting for - can't really turn it down).

For the rest, our social life is buzzing with weekly dinners with friends, the next one being a dinner party at our house for ten people on Saturday! Yikes.. better start planning the menu! A Beef Red Curry plus a Cajun Shrimp Stew with Jasmine Rice for maincourse and a Dark Chocolate Mousse with strawberries for dessert, I think. Hmm.. I will add the recipies here. Thankfully I have Friday off to cook all day.

Work is the same as ever. A new teacher.. yes, another male! (Female teachers seem to be non existant). I am planning another project to sink my teeth into. The University Entrance Exam papers have been written, tried and tested - so that chapter is now closed. The IELTS academic writing course we offer is becoming extremely popular among students in Bangkok and we are building a very good reputation. I have proposed that the course be revamped to accomodate the new numbers, recent exam changes and to make it more user friendly for our teachers who haven't been teaching this course to date (we have been using a lot of our own materials on an adhoc basis to meet the diverse needs of the students - the course is lacking in some areas). So.. it all depends on the budget allocated for the revamp - but I would love to do it.

We spent two days in Hua Hin Evason Hideaway resort last week - spent my time reading 600 pages (trashy beach novel) by the pool - joy! Strange, but after 26 days back I was already hanging for another holiday! Yeah.. I know..spoilt :-) Our next break will probably be in March when Mafalda and Paulo Nuno (Amandio's brother) come to visit for a month... Angkor Wat perhaps... but in the Bangkok Post yesterday it warned that the Hot summer would start two months earlier this year and temperatures are expected to be around 45degrees in March! oops! Not the best time to go inland really. We'll see.

Damn.. I just discovered that I cannot add more photos here, nor in Picasa until I buy more storage space from Google. That went fast!

Poetry: Incantation of Moon

Flame crystallised against black velvet
Silently illuminating the lacklustre
Veined with determination
Purity willed beyond the rim
Satiated by crators of soft lace

Seduced by a gravitational pull
Ebb and flow dance to your rhythm
Lulled by tracks of glistening silver
A celestial siren beckoning lovers
Weaving a magical interlude

Each changing facet reveals truth
A phoenix rising at one with fire
Peaceful rapture forever present
Confidant and keeper of dreams....
Radiating runes - my relentless moon




The moon here in Thailand will be full on Wednesday 6th marking the eve of the Chinese New Year.

Updates: Ruby Ring

I just have to show off my new ruby ring! :-)

After firmly swearing that we wouldn't buy each other any Christmas presents this year (we had already bought our new computer before we left for Portugal), Amandio turned around and surprised me with a little red box under the Christmas tree with my name marked on it. Cunning little devil, we had killed some of our time waiting at the airports looking at jewellery cases and 'playing a game' of him guessing which rings I would choose. We had of course discussed rubies since the first day we arrived in Thailand when we were snapped up in a tourist trap and bundled to a jewellers. Sapphires and rubies are mined in Thailand (the mines are now exhausted) so naturally the prices are much cheaper here. During our time wandering aimlessly into jewellery shops we have been taught the 5 Cs of choosing gemstones... oh, lets see if I remember: Clarity, Cut, Colour, Carat - erm.. have to look up the fifth one -oh, there are only four! LOL

Well, this one, as far as budget goes naturally, is gorgeous (a little cloudy perhaps but invisible to the naked eye). Amandio did a great job in choosing, just how I like it - single stone, not too small, with either other surrounding stones or a double flank/side with a design, and a higher relief - portruding slightly. My style can vary between romantic old fashioned, neoclassical and extremely modern with those variables. Perfect!!

It must have been bought on a last minute whim (he hadn't taken one of my own rings to check size) and it was 5 sizes too small - so torture, I had to wait over a week to take it back to the jewellers here to get it enlarged! I finally got it back today and I am like a child - showing off my new shiny gift. Okay, okay.. enough said :-)

Updates: Happy New Year

So back in Thailand... well, in body anyway. After a fantastic New Year's Eve dinner (smoked salmon, lumpfish caviar, snails, pate, shrimp, cheeses, dark chocolate mousse and wine and champagne...mmmm) with siblings we left Portugal with heavy hearts and suitcases on 1st January. I didn't sleep a wink on the plane, crammed, a crying baby behind us, an annoying person who kept on switching on the light, and an energetic sleeper beside me and erm.. digesting. As a result, we are both suffering from serious jetlag, worse than ever and combined with a period and a cold makes for some discomfort and listless moods. Waking up after only one hours sleep, dreams that go nowhere, hunger pangs at odd hours.. urghh! I need a holiday!! LOL
Luckily, I only start back at work on Monday but poor Amandio had to brave it the following morning. Isla, who is enroute back to Scotland via South East Asia and an Indian tour after a year in Sydney, is coming to stay with us. I will also get to meet Zain, her now fiancee (CONGRATULATIONS!!! - proposed while skydiving - sounds very adventurous). I am so excited to catch up with her again - it has been TOO long. Julie, a great school and university friend also got engaged over the holidays. Congrats to you both too! Love must be in the air....
It was so lovely to see Sandra, Antonio and Alex and meet the newest addition to the family, Rafael. It was so warm and 'cosy' to be a part of the family for one day. Hugs :-)
I have unpacked all the goodies we brought back from Portugal and had fun putting them in their new homes, ie. books, photos, embroidered cloths and am slowly uploading the videos and sorting out photographs. I love that part - indulging in reminiscence. Happy New Year to all of you and wish you peace, love and happiness for 2008....

Updates: Portugal

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RINUS!

Gosh time is flying. I haven't really been writing much but I have been keeping a sort of video diary on Dailymotion.
Here I am in Portugal busy going through the Christmas motions with family. The weather is glorious; crystal blue skies with pure fresh air. I find it really chilly and am suffering from an incessant cold that I just can't shake off. On the plus side, the opportunity to wear winter clothes is delightful, mixing and matching Thai summerish clothes with forgotten treasures I had boxed away. My favourite has got to be a black knitted dress with my tan suede knee high boots....it feels so good to be able to wear layers and accessorise with scarves, hats, belts etc. LOL! This may sound a little crazy, but those of you who know what it is like to be limited to summer clothes (which of course I love too, especially dresses and skirts) for a few years, can probably empathise.
Besides looking forward to wearing new outfits every morning, my days are filled with walks with Amandio and Lord (plus any of our nephews if they are around), relaxing, reading, eating, cooking, chatting, roaming around the streets and shops in Tomar.
We went to Lisbon for two days. Once again, I am in awe of the city. I LOVE IT.... and miss the familiarity, the coziness .... this feeling lives strongly within me, never to be forgotten. Home :-) I dreamt of returning one day and buying a house in Campo do Ourique. Beautiful. After wandering around my old haunts and filming what delights my eyes, I spent hours putting together a film (to be uploaded onto DM tomorrow) which I think really captures the magic, the sloppy juxtaposition of old and new, the essence of Ulysses' seven headed serpeant.
My parents are coming next week which I am really looking forward to. Lovely long days are stretching ahead of me here. Happy and relaxing :-)

Happy Birthday Felix

24-11-07
To my dearest father. Happy Birthday!
Hope you have a wonderful day.
I love you.

Updates: Pantip Plaza

It has been a while.... Lots has happened in the past two weeks. Work is as busy as ever and I am still rushing around buying xmas presents for family - the experience is slightly more credible due to recent xmas decorations and songs flooding the soundwaves (despite the fact that it is quite hot here and yeah.. still November!)
We have been to the doctor (yeah... I had been putting that off a bit). He was delighted with the statue of the Virgin Mary which we had bought him in Fatima last August (made a good xmas pressie). Basically, we went for information on the IVF procedure. I had read conflicting information on the web re cost and how long it takes and steps involved. So, in Thailand it takes 5 weeks from the stage where I get a nasal spray to supress hormones one week before my period, to ultrasounds and self administered hormone injections (will have to recruit my own personal nurse Amandio for that! :-), to extracting the eggs under anesthetic, mixing them with Amandio's sample, reinserting - a number to be decided on - of embryos to the final two week wait for the pregnancy test. The hospital has a 40% success rate which seems to be quite high. Sit down for the cost though... 250,000 Bhat and up - 5,000 Euro. Hmm.. well, we may have to have a conversation with Amex :-)
We also bought a 'spanking' new computer. Here goes my attempt at all the technical mumbo jumbo .... HP Pavilion, Intel Core 2Duo processor, 2042RAM and 280GB memory, graphics of 512MB G-force, 2MB L2 Cache, HP 22inch flat lcd monitor with optimum resolution 1680 x 1050 @ 60 Hz, wireless keyboard and optical mouse. Our software (XP Service pack 2, Adobe, WMPlayer etc) is all pirated.. (all done in the time it took to buy some counterfeit DVDs) courtesy of where we bought the pc, an experience in itself - Pantip Plaza - a techies wet dream, a haven of modern day pirates :-) Despite regular police raids (early warning system in place) it seems to boom with underworld trading. Most of the hundreds of small shops specialise in computer hardware, software and accessories, including parts, repair, modifications, networking, second hand, laptops, Macintosh and peripherals. We almost bought a video camera but decided to wait on that, prioritising the pc, as we have decided to offer my 1 year old laptop to my brother for xmas seeing as we prefer to have a desktop at home, now that we have a more reliable internet cable connection.
The only genuine bit of software is the upgrade I bought online for Windows Movie Maker - the full pack with loads of transition and video effects! I will get my teeth into this when we get back from Portugal in January. Looking forward!
The countdown is on for our departure on Tuesday 27th. A trip to Chatuchak market, a xmas bowling/dinner work night out and finishing off the last version of the NCTest is on the cards for this weekend.
I can't wait for Portugal..I feel like I have been living for the future a lot recently, not really in the here and now. All very exciting, but I need to catch my breath :-)

Updates: Diwali

Today is Friday 9th December! (dunno what is wrong with this date thingy)

With firecrackers keeping me up late at night for the last two days I decided to look into what the festival which is being celebrated in noisy Indian style on my soi is all about. All the balconies are beautifully lit up, mouth watering aromas of Indian cooking wafts in through open windows potently mixed with sulphur from the fireworks erupting in the night sky. Lovely really - pure exotic colourful Indian style. Here is some information I found out about it:

Diwali, Divali, or Deepawali (Markiscarali) is a major Indian and Nepalese festive holiday. What started as a harvest festival in ancient times, became associated with many legends and became a significant festival in Hinduism and is known across the globe as the "Festival of Light," where the lights or lamps signify victory of good over the evil within every human being during a five day celebration.

The most popular legend associated with Diwali today is the homecoming of King Rama of Ayodhya after a 14-year exile in the forest. The people of Ayodhya (the capital of his kingdom) welcomed Rama by lighting rows (avali) of lamps (deepa), thus its name, Deepawali, or simply shortened as Diwali.

Some view it as the day Krishna defeated the demon Narakasura or in honor of the day Bali went to rule the nether-world by the order of Vishnu.
In Jainism it marks the nirvana of Lord Mahavira, which occurred on Oct. 15, 527 B.C.

The festival marks the victory of good over evil, and uplifting of spiritual darkness. Symbolically it marks the homecoming of goodwill and faith after an absence, as suggested by the story of Ramayana.

On the day of Diwali, many wear new clothes, share sweets and snacks. Some North Indian business communities start their financial year on Divali and new account books are opened on this day.

Happy Diwali to my Indian friends :-)

Food: Pork Risotto

Ingredients:
(I usually do this by eye, but I'll try writing the quantities....)

For four people
Olive oil
3 cloves of garlic
1 medium onion
3 Red chillies/Tabasco/Chilli past
1 cinnamon stick
1tsp cumin seeds
Rosemary and Thyme to taste
1 pork stock cube
Handful raisins
200g Risotto rice
250 - 300g minced pork
100g bacon cubes
4 leeks (Chinese Onion)
200g shitake mushrooms (or other variety)
1 red pepper
handful cherry tomatoes
tin of tomato concentrate (optional)
Garnish: spring onions, feta cheese, parsley

Method:
Heat some olive oil in frying pan. Add garlic and cumin seeds. One minute later add the chopped onion and allow to sauté until transparent in colour. Mix in the bacon cubes and pork mince (or meat chunks/spicy sausages), adding chillies/chilli paste, cinnamon stick, rosemary and thyme. Allow to cook for a while. Stir in the risotto rice, raisins and tomato concentrate. Cover the mixture with water and bring to the boil. Add the stock cube, turn down the heat and let simmer until the risotto is cooked. You will need to check this every 10mins as it can stick to the bottom of the pan and usually needs more water.
After the rice is almost cooked, add the mushrooms (whole or halved), leeks and tomatoes. Check for seasoning. Cook (lowest heat) for another 20mins - (this depends on taste...but I like risotto to be mushy)adding some parmesan cheese to taste.
Allow it to cool for 10 minutes and serve with a finely chopped green salad dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. A glass of red wine and bon appetite!

Note: A more Mediterranean style would be without the cumin, chilli and cinammon and would add wine as well as stock (my taste buds are getting slightly more exotic :-). I usually do this without the tomato concentrate and add more leek and cherry tomatoes at the end... thought I would try something new though.
These ingredients can vary and is a great dish to use up whatever you have in the fridge.
For the salad the best way to get it really fresh and crunchy is to finely cut the lettuce, put it into a colander and wash it with cold water. Leave it in the colander and put it into the fridge for at least 15minutes or until ready to serve. Pour the dressing on the lettuce just as you are about to sit at the table.

Oh.... it tastes even better the next day!

Poetry: Drive

Drive
Up and down and left and right
just go

road road road
let it grow grow grow

tar and asphalt dreams whirl by your head like dead dust bunnies
and you wonder where you're going

so you go, just go go go

and your mind is a terrible driver and swerves, mad with glee, as if dancing with insanity

the desert was meant for you, it seems, as the city flees from your sight, far far behind, in dream time

and you drive drive drive but the tears make it hard to see, you stop for gas and a snack to refill the machine..

but you leave it all behind, the mountains beckon your state of mind
so you walk, stumble and drop into the dry wind and its like a tunnel, sweeping you into crime

the dust never settles the sands in your eye and the ocean chuckles far far away but you continue to shuffle, shuffle your feet to your destiny, a place to be, to go go go thats all you know, and your friends settle and the years slide by, like rain drops off a windshield

this thing called life baffles you, these passions burden you, your spirits drink with you in schizophrenic tendencies and your consciousness is bitch slapped across the face by a stranger in passing

you fall to your knees as the night sweeps its mask suddenly and the coyotes howl and cactus shakes, your bones beg to break your heart yearns to breathe in reality and your mind has its suitcases in hand and its ticket between its teeth, all thats left is a soul boxed and locked, buried deep, wrapped in an army jacket of hope, and all you can do is curl up to protect your last sanity

and then....

a crossroads presents options of a child in a sweet shop, an insatiable appetite turning cartwheels across your mind

maybe? maybe a sun spits and shakes and breaks free, cutting through the night's insecurities and maybe a melody goes supernova in a spirit and escapes to the gravity of your ears and maybe you stumble across another soul, a pair of eyes, an infinity, godly humanity, and things are alright and you get up from your knees and pay for your fucking gas and get back on that road and drive drive drive like the road is suddenly ending and you're free

(this one is a little different to my usual style - came flooding out :-)

Updates: Royal Barges

Yesterday we were invited to a Thai style house (built in 1908 by the Royal family and still lived in to this day by a Royal Prince) to sit by the river pavilion and watch the Royal Barge Procession in honour of the King's 80th birthday.
At the trumpeting of the conch shell, chana and mahorathuk drums and then the royal anthem, the 52 Royal Barges with over 2,000 oarsmen began their journey down the Chao Phraya river in a majestic display of colour, culture and opulence. The oarsmen have to keep to in sync with the drums and follow the calls and flag signals of the Master Oarsman at the helm.
The procession was organised to mark His Majesty the King's 80th birthday on Dec 5. However, the King failed to attend as both his Majesty and his sister, her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana, are still being treated at Siriraj Hospital.
Instead his Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn presided over the procession and later presented the Royal Krathin Robes to monks at the Temple of Dawn, marking the end of Buddhist Lent.
The Royal Barge Procession is a part of Thai national heritage, teaching them how merciful the rivers can be and giving them the chance to make merit together for the afterlife.
The Royal Barges are descendants of fleets of boats developed for war in ancient times. In the Ayutthaya period (400 years ago) the fleets were decorated and served kings who wanted to travel by boat, especially for the ritual of presenting offerings to monks. During the rest of the year these elaborately decorated vessels can be seen in the Royal Barge Museum.
As the sun set behind the Temple of Dawn, I couldn't help wondering - have we been hurled back in time? Kings, royal barges, chants, traditional clothes, hundreds of oarsmen working in unison, the sound of water rushing along the prow - transcendental!
It is at times like this that I wish I had a real video camera!!

Updates: Award-Mr. Condom

Thai “Condom King” Receives Gates Award for Global Health

Established in 2000 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Gates Award for Global Health recognizes organizations that have made major and lasting contributions to the field of global health. The award is administered by the Global Health Council, and presented at its annual international conference in Washington. A jury of international public health experts selects the award recipient based on leadership, record of achievement, innovation in program design, program stability and sustainability, collaboration with others, and impact across geographic and organizational boundaries. The prize consists of an award sculpture and $1 million. This year, almost 100 organizations were nominated for the award.

Mechai Viravaidya was recognised by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today with a $1 million award for confronting “taboo subjects like sex and HIV/AIDS directly in order to save lives,” the foundation said.

Mechai and Population Development Association worked closely with the Thai government to develop and implement a groundbreaking national HIV prevention program that led to a dramatic reduction in new HIV infections in Thailand, from 143,000 in 1991 to 21,000 in 2003. Because of his creative and often humorous approaches to promoting condom use, Mechai is known as Thailand’s “Condom King” and the generic word for the love glove in Thailand is “Mechai.”

To eccentrically prove his points, Mr. Viravaidya has pulled many stunts, including posing for cameras while drinking the same glass of water as an H.I.V.-positive person (to prove it’s not transmitted that way); offering free vasectomies at his restaurants; and bringing fistfuls of condoms to World Bank talks. In addition the PDA has taken a bold and direct approach in their condom campaign with slogans like, "SLIP IT ON, BEFORE YOU SLIP IT IN," on a key tag with a free condom and a picture post card with a heart shaped ring of condoms saying, "NO GLOVE, NO LOVE," etc. And of course, in 'Cabbages and Condoms' restaurants providing condoms instead of dinner mints and condoms instead of chocolates on pillows in the resorts.

Congrats Mr Mechai!! A well deserved award.

Reviews: Bangkok 8

I have decided to add a new category 'reviews' as well as the latest 'food' one(particularly because I'm not doing much writing these days). Lately I have been doing a lot of reading, going to bed earlier in the evenings - enjoying our cozy bedroom (after having bought the lamps and throws etc) and savouring the escapism into new worlds that authors draw me into. Hmmm the first one wasn't actually very far from home: Bangkok 8 by John Burdett. Felix, my father, being an avid lover and of course, writer of good detective stories recommended this book to me ages ago. I finally got around to reading it in Hua Hin.

This is not your typical murder mystery where a detective loses his partner and seeks out revenge on the culprit who is usually some obscure character, well - connected and out of the laws reach. Instead, it is set in the moneyed underbelly of Bangkok which in itself is the essence of secrecy and flavour needed to catapult this story into one of intrigue, paradoxes and cultural insights - a sensory overload in print! It took me out of my comfort zone, challenged all western preconceptions and above all took me on a journey into Buddhism and prostitution. Despite being a work of fiction, it is thoroughly researched, there being many aspects of the book that are true to life. Interestingly, this almost surreal book confirmed many of the things about life in Bangkok which had been suggested to me by my Thai students (how it is normal for university students to have a 'sugar-daddy' to sustain their education) or I had observed from my own experiences here. The main character, Sonchai,the son of a prostitue and an Amerian soldier, is an 'arhat'- a living Buddhist saint and is paired up with an American female FBI agent to work on this case. Sonchai not only narrates and weaves in twists and turns to solve the mystery, takes us with him on his personal quest for identity, but also educates in the way of Buddhism, drugs and corruption in Thailand, gem trafficking, sex changes and the difference between life in the East and the West.

Some interesting quotes:
- The sex industry's annual turnover is nearly double the Thai government's annual budget.
- Thai to non-Thai sex transactions accounts for only 5% of the whole industry, the rest being invisible to the foreign visitor.
- We do not look on death the way you do, farang. No one says 'sorry'. Would you be sorry about a sunset?
- Krung Trep means City of Angels, but we are happy to call it Bangkok if it helps to separate a farang from his money.

This book reverberates life seen from a new perspective.... warts and all :-)

Updates: Hua Hin

We are just back from four days in Hua Hin. Amandio went under the pretext that he had a lot of work to do there (he did.. but it could have waited until after Christmas) to accomodate my need for a break! I know it sounds terribly spoilt, but since we have come back from Portugal I haven't had a moment to breathe. I jumped at the chance to 'manipulate' :-) a situation and negotiate a few days out of the city. Needless to say, I spent the whole time reading by the pool, running along the beach road, cycling to hidden places in the area and eating... Out of the four days we spent there it rained on and off for three of them. It gave us a good opportunity to enjoy the outdoors given the cooler temperatures. It was thoroughly revitalising and when we returned I was ready to face writing a new version of the NCTest (for January university admissions to be completed before I leave for Portugal on 28th November). I am in the process of putting together the clip I made of our ... (dare I mention?)...pool suite villa, which I will post on DM. Lapping in luxury :-)

Updates: Public Holiday

Yesterday was Chulalongkorn Day in Thailand. A much needed day off to cut this week in two. We went for a lovely lunch with a friend (Hoisin Duck pizza....yummy!!)and just lazed around for the day.
This day, (23rd OCtober) honours the 1910 death of King Chulalongkorn the Great (Phra Chula Chumklao Chaoyuhua, พระบาทสมเด็จพระจุลจอมเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัว, known in the West as Rama V) with Chulalongkorn Day (Wan Piyamahraj). He is highly regarded as one of the greatest kings of Siam; the Thai people call him “The Great Beloved King” because of the many reforms he initiated in order to modernize the country.

Chulalongkorn was born 20 September 1853 as the first son of Queen Ramphai Pamarapirom (Thepsirindra) and the ninth surviving son of King Mongkut (Rama IV). His father gave him a broad education, including instruction from European tutors such as Anna Leonowens. He

His long reign of 42 years was a busy era of full-scale reform and the emergence of Thailand into the modern age. He had already travelled extensively and made friends with the major powers of Britain, America, France, and Russia. He managed to keep his country independent even though both France and Britain were colonizing much of Southeast Asia during this period. In 1897, he became the first Thai king to visit Europe.

The King’s reforms involved almost every aspect of Thai life. These included the abolition of slavery, the expansion of the communication system through the construction of the first railroads in Thailand, the establishment of the postal and telegraph services, and the introduction of the modern system of banknotes to Siam. In 1892 Chulalongkorn modernized the government by creating a ministerial system. The modern administration of provinces (changwat) and districts (amphoe) is still in place today. In addition, the King also established a variety of public utilities, particularly in the fields of health and education; Thailand’s first university — Chulalongkorn University — was named in his honor upon it’s establishment in 1917. It was during his reign that the Western calendar replaced the traditional lunar calendar and religious freedom was declared, allowing Christianity and Islam to be practiced in the Buddhist country.

King Chulalongkorn had four queen consorts and at least 77 children, of which 33 were boys, with the four queens and his royal common wives. His second son, Vajiravudh, succeeded him as Rama VI. His death on 23 October 1910 was a great loss to the entire nation.
The Thai people believe in the King’s miraculous power of bringing good luck and prosperity to the person who pays respect to him. Thus, Chulalongkorn’s picture is still to be found in almost every Thai household. People from all walks of life lay wreaths at his equestrian statue at the Royal Plaza in Bangkok and his statues in the provinces.