Last night, Tim and I attended the funeral of one of our neighbors. Neither of us had actually met him, but we both knew his wife. She is the real estate agent who rented us the house in which we are living. She is a very nice woman, and we are deeply sorry for her loss.
Tim hit traffic on her way home from work, so we were a few minutes late to the temple. We sat on blue plastic chairs outside the temple. The temple had sliding glass doors all around it, so you could see in from the outside. It had been hot and muggy all day, so I was prepared to sweat profusely in my long sleeve black shirt and black pants. Thai's wear all black to funerals, although a while shirt is permitted with a suit. I was pleasantly surprised that there was a very nice breeze blowing the entire time, making it very comfortable.
Most of the ceremony involved the head monk giving a ceremony. His voice was very monotone, and of course he was speaking in Thai. Coupled with the pleasant weather, the monotone monologue in a language I do not speak make the perfect conditions for falling asleep. Fortunately, I was able to resist this temptation.
The ceremony was done in less than an hour, which Tim explained was pretty short. She also told me that instead of long monologues, a lot of funerals involved a lot of chanting. They did do a little chanting, and I have to admit, its almost hypnotic. The chanting is fascinating, even though I don't understand the words. Perhaps not understanding the words makes it more "mystic".
Another difference from most Thai funerals was the presence of a lot of foreigners. There are a lot of Westerners in our neighborhood who knew the widow and her husband. We even saw one of Nalin's teachers there.
Today is a bit happier occassion, as my brother-in-law Top is celebrating his 41st birthday. The group in which he belongs, headed by the fortune teller, is throwing him a party. I think I'll keep myself busy tonight by taking my camera and taking pictures.
I still remember the last party that I was at for Top some ten plus years ago. It was the final day of their wedding celebration, and they hosted 800 or so guests at a nice Bangkok Hotel. During part of the celebration, Tim and I stood with Top, Tam and the rest of the family greeting guests. I would smile and say "sa wa dee kab". Unlike the other people in line, I really didn't engage in a lot of small talk, as then I spoke even less Thai than I do now. Most of my time was spent smiling. By the end of the evening, I had smiled so much that my jaw hurt.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Raining
It rained today. This is the first day that it has rained in about three months. Don't worry about droughts, we'll make up for it in the rainy season.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Wat Phra Kaew & Grand Palace
Today I went and took photographs at Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace. You can see the pictures here. Wat is the Thai word for temple.
If you come and visit Thailand, these places are virtual must visits. The architecture and statues in the temple and palace are really interesting to behold. Interestingly, a visit to the temple can enlighten sight seers on how Thais treat foreigners differently than Thai citizens.
One difference is the entrance costs. The entrance fee for the wat and palace was 250 baht for foreigners. Thais are admitted for free. My wife's Vietnamese friend managed to beat the system by walking through the Thai line. She kept silent and the guards didn't notice that she wasn't Thai. I might have tried that but I'm not sure that the machine gun equipped guards that I saw upon entering would have thought my prank a delightful lark.
The dress code is also slightly different for foreigners and Thais. All men must wear long pants and all women either long pants or a skirt. Foreigners, however, are required to wear closed toed shoes, while Thais are not.
There is also a Thai only exit to the temple. While foreigners must exit through the main gate, there is an exit for Thais in another part of the temple.
You probably won't find this in any travel guides, but there is another things that Thais can do that foreigners cannot, and that is enter the temple in a car. Ten years ago, Tim and I came to Thailand for her brother Top's wedding. I'll write about it in more detail in another entry, but part of the ceremony involved taking a donation to the Wat Phra Kaew.
Tim and I had accompanied Top and Tham to the temple to make their offering. People normally do not drive into the temple, but as they were making a donation of goods they were given permission. When we reached the entrance, the guard spotted me in the back seat. He stopped the car and made me get out. To enter the temple, I was required to pay the entrance fee and enter with the rest of the tourists. I'm still not sure if it was the fact that a falang entering the temple in a Mercedes somehow profaned the holiness of the place, or they just wanted to make sure they got the 250 baht entrance fee.
On our way out, I ducked down in the backseat so the guard didn't see me. I really didn't want to have to walk all the way around to the main exit.
While the difference in treatment may not conform to Western ideals of equal treatment, they actually serve a good purpose. While 250 baht (around $8) is not a lot by Western standards, it can be more than half a days pay for a lot of Thais. Charging Thais 250 baht would effectively prevent a great many Thais from being able to visit and worship at this temple. That would truly be unfair. I'm not sure about the shoes, but its possible that a lot of poorer Thais don't have an Imelda Marcos trailer full of shoes attached to their one room home. As far as the separate exit, perhaps that's a bit gratuitous, but its really not a big deal.
If you come and visit Thailand, these places are virtual must visits. The architecture and statues in the temple and palace are really interesting to behold. Interestingly, a visit to the temple can enlighten sight seers on how Thais treat foreigners differently than Thai citizens.
One difference is the entrance costs. The entrance fee for the wat and palace was 250 baht for foreigners. Thais are admitted for free. My wife's Vietnamese friend managed to beat the system by walking through the Thai line. She kept silent and the guards didn't notice that she wasn't Thai. I might have tried that but I'm not sure that the machine gun equipped guards that I saw upon entering would have thought my prank a delightful lark.
The dress code is also slightly different for foreigners and Thais. All men must wear long pants and all women either long pants or a skirt. Foreigners, however, are required to wear closed toed shoes, while Thais are not.
There is also a Thai only exit to the temple. While foreigners must exit through the main gate, there is an exit for Thais in another part of the temple.
You probably won't find this in any travel guides, but there is another things that Thais can do that foreigners cannot, and that is enter the temple in a car. Ten years ago, Tim and I came to Thailand for her brother Top's wedding. I'll write about it in more detail in another entry, but part of the ceremony involved taking a donation to the Wat Phra Kaew.
Tim and I had accompanied Top and Tham to the temple to make their offering. People normally do not drive into the temple, but as they were making a donation of goods they were given permission. When we reached the entrance, the guard spotted me in the back seat. He stopped the car and made me get out. To enter the temple, I was required to pay the entrance fee and enter with the rest of the tourists. I'm still not sure if it was the fact that a falang entering the temple in a Mercedes somehow profaned the holiness of the place, or they just wanted to make sure they got the 250 baht entrance fee.
On our way out, I ducked down in the backseat so the guard didn't see me. I really didn't want to have to walk all the way around to the main exit.
While the difference in treatment may not conform to Western ideals of equal treatment, they actually serve a good purpose. While 250 baht (around $8) is not a lot by Western standards, it can be more than half a days pay for a lot of Thais. Charging Thais 250 baht would effectively prevent a great many Thais from being able to visit and worship at this temple. That would truly be unfair. I'm not sure about the shoes, but its possible that a lot of poorer Thais don't have an Imelda Marcos trailer full of shoes attached to their one room home. As far as the separate exit, perhaps that's a bit gratuitous, but its really not a big deal.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Victory...sort of
Yesterday was the Cub Scout Pinewood Derby. For those of you not in the know, the Pinewood Derby involves scouts (or their over ambitious fathers) making a car out of a block of wood that are raced against each otheer.
Jacob placed second in his den and received a trophy. He was very excited.
Here is a picture of his car
Friday, January 25, 2008
Aleena's Day
Today was Aleena's Olympic day at school. The pictures are here.
It was pretty fun. Aleena's best friend is a girl named Makala. Her teacher told us that ever since Makala started attending Magic Years in November, the two became fast friends.
Aleena's class competed in quite a few games. One involved parents dragging the kids in a laundry basket hooked up to a rope. There was also a tug of war at the end with all the kids.
The best part of the day were the races. They paired up the kids in her class and had them race around the field. Perhaps not surprisingly, Aleena and Makala were paired together. When the race started, the started running slowly next to each other, each turning their heads and giggling. After the first turn, the two stopped any pretense of running, and started walking together while holding hands. Everyone watched and laughed as the two meandered their way to the finish line.
The two legged race was also cute. Once again the two were paired together in the first "heat". They strolled around the cone at a nice leisurely pace, finishing after some of the participants in the second heat. While they didn't win the race, I'm pretty sure that no-one had more fun.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
New Government On the Way
When is winning 5 - 40 Parliament seats better than winning 165? In coalition governments, that can sometimes be the case.
The People's Power Party, the remnants of ousted PM Thaskin's Thai Love Thai party is forming a six party coalition to form the new government. The new government will have 315 of the 480 MP seats. In fact, the only party not a part of the coalition is the second place Democrats. The lawsuit that threatened to dissolve the PPP party was resolved in their favor, so they are forming a government.
Three of the parties in the coalition have less than 10 members each. These parties, however, will each get at least one cabinet position because they committed early to join the PPP's coalition. While the two medium parties waited to see what would come of the lawsuits against the PPP and the fraud charges against many PPP MP winners, these smaller parties agreed to join a government. Their support gave the PPP enough of a majority, absent a large number of MP disqualifications, to form the government. They astutely extracted a price for their allegiance, because once one of the medium sized parties signed on, the little ones would be much less necessary.
Interestingly, the Thai Chart Thai party, which appeared to be a solid ally of the Democrats also joined the alliance. Some say their leader may end up being Prime Minister in this government. That won't be decided until the Parliament convenes and votes. PPP leader and former Bangkok Mayor, Samak Sundaravej, is viewed by many as a hot head who doesn't have the right temperment to serve as PM. Another common belief that whoever the PM is, that he will have to have the approval of Thaskin, who many believe pull the strings on the PPP party.
Politics in Thailand is a lot like mid-western weather. If you don't like it, wait a few days and it might change.
The People's Power Party, the remnants of ousted PM Thaskin's Thai Love Thai party is forming a six party coalition to form the new government. The new government will have 315 of the 480 MP seats. In fact, the only party not a part of the coalition is the second place Democrats. The lawsuit that threatened to dissolve the PPP party was resolved in their favor, so they are forming a government.
Three of the parties in the coalition have less than 10 members each. These parties, however, will each get at least one cabinet position because they committed early to join the PPP's coalition. While the two medium parties waited to see what would come of the lawsuits against the PPP and the fraud charges against many PPP MP winners, these smaller parties agreed to join a government. Their support gave the PPP enough of a majority, absent a large number of MP disqualifications, to form the government. They astutely extracted a price for their allegiance, because once one of the medium sized parties signed on, the little ones would be much less necessary.
Interestingly, the Thai Chart Thai party, which appeared to be a solid ally of the Democrats also joined the alliance. Some say their leader may end up being Prime Minister in this government. That won't be decided until the Parliament convenes and votes. PPP leader and former Bangkok Mayor, Samak Sundaravej, is viewed by many as a hot head who doesn't have the right temperment to serve as PM. Another common belief that whoever the PM is, that he will have to have the approval of Thaskin, who many believe pull the strings on the PPP party.
Politics in Thailand is a lot like mid-western weather. If you don't like it, wait a few days and it might change.
The C Word
We found out this week that our nanny, Cat, has cancer. She has two tumors and is checking herself into the hospital tomorrow. As she will be gone an indefinite amount of time (weeks and possibly months), we are having a new nanny start tomorrow. We will really miss Cat and wish for her speedy recovery. Fortunately she has medical insurance, so we hope that she will get the treatment that she needs.
Of course, I felt like I pulled a Dave (Mallery for those of you not in the know) when I found out. Yesterday morning I came downstairs and the girls were running late. I was pretty unhappy because Nalin had about one minute to eat her breakfast before she had to leave. We've talked to Cat and Jipp before about making sure they are ready, but like many other things, they forget if you don't constantly remind them. Tim is talking to Cat and Jipp in the dining room and I come in, very unhappy. I start complaining to Tim in English about it. I said, "so what is their excuse this time?" Tim deadpans "Cat has cancer."
Okay, shit, you win. My being upset about the kids running late is very trivial compared to a life and death issue. I feel bad for Cat, but its tough trying to communicate that with her in a language I do not fully grasp.
I spoke to the new nanny on the phone, and her English isn't too bad. She costs an extra $70 per month, but that is a small price if it makes it easier for us to communicate.
Our maid was going to leave this week also. Last night she told Nalin that it was her last day, which came as a bit of a shock to me. Tim ended up talking to her this morning. Apparently the woman at the agency was a real bitch and told her that she wasn't going to pay Jipp for the month (we pay the agency who in turn pays the maid), so Jipp was going to stop working. Tim ended up working it out, so Jipp will stay until March, when she'll find out if she if her school application is accepted. While I don't love having to get a new maid in March, its good to see someone try to better herself.
The good news is that the driver has been working out well. Neither Tim nor I have had any reason to complain yet, which is very good.
Of course, I felt like I pulled a Dave (Mallery for those of you not in the know) when I found out. Yesterday morning I came downstairs and the girls were running late. I was pretty unhappy because Nalin had about one minute to eat her breakfast before she had to leave. We've talked to Cat and Jipp before about making sure they are ready, but like many other things, they forget if you don't constantly remind them. Tim is talking to Cat and Jipp in the dining room and I come in, very unhappy. I start complaining to Tim in English about it. I said, "so what is their excuse this time?" Tim deadpans "Cat has cancer."
Okay, shit, you win. My being upset about the kids running late is very trivial compared to a life and death issue. I feel bad for Cat, but its tough trying to communicate that with her in a language I do not fully grasp.
I spoke to the new nanny on the phone, and her English isn't too bad. She costs an extra $70 per month, but that is a small price if it makes it easier for us to communicate.
Our maid was going to leave this week also. Last night she told Nalin that it was her last day, which came as a bit of a shock to me. Tim ended up talking to her this morning. Apparently the woman at the agency was a real bitch and told her that she wasn't going to pay Jipp for the month (we pay the agency who in turn pays the maid), so Jipp was going to stop working. Tim ended up working it out, so Jipp will stay until March, when she'll find out if she if her school application is accepted. While I don't love having to get a new maid in March, its good to see someone try to better herself.
The good news is that the driver has been working out well. Neither Tim nor I have had any reason to complain yet, which is very good.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
A Few Pictures
I've taken a few pictures with my new camera. As I am playing around with settings, a lot of them are really bad. Here are some that don't suck quite as much as the others.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
More Speed, Less Channels
We cancelled our cable today. The first reason is that it really sucked. We had fifty or so channels, but the only one anyone really watched more than an hour or two a week was Cartoon network Asia. Its not that the shows were compelling (although Jacob enjoyed them), but there wasn't that much else to chose from.
The deciding factor for me was when I called to add the Disney channels to our subscription. The cost was only $5 or so. The problem was that the cable bill is in my landlords name. I can't make any changes directly, I have to go through her. While I understand the way that is the way it is (or was rather), I really don't like it. I don't want to have to call my landlord, explain to her what I want, and then have her call the cable company to make the change. The chances for a misunderstanding or problem are just too high. It would be like playing the telephone game with a room full of first graders.
Tim called the landlord to have it cancelled. She told us that she would give us permission (which we would need) to put up a satellite dish if we wished. I did some research, and like so many things here, its as clear as mud. I am going to hold off for a while. For the price of cable, I can buy 10 or 15 dvd's a month from the local IT mall.
The good news is that I bumped my high speed up from 256 kbps to 2.5 mbps. The cost only went from $20 to $40.
The deciding factor for me was when I called to add the Disney channels to our subscription. The cost was only $5 or so. The problem was that the cable bill is in my landlords name. I can't make any changes directly, I have to go through her. While I understand the way that is the way it is (or was rather), I really don't like it. I don't want to have to call my landlord, explain to her what I want, and then have her call the cable company to make the change. The chances for a misunderstanding or problem are just too high. It would be like playing the telephone game with a room full of first graders.
Tim called the landlord to have it cancelled. She told us that she would give us permission (which we would need) to put up a satellite dish if we wished. I did some research, and like so many things here, its as clear as mud. I am going to hold off for a while. For the price of cable, I can buy 10 or 15 dvd's a month from the local IT mall.
The good news is that I bumped my high speed up from 256 kbps to 2.5 mbps. The cost only went from $20 to $40.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Katoey
There is a bar in Bangkok where there is a front and a back stage. On the front stage, the tall and beautiful women dance provocatively in various states of undress. In the stage in the back, the ugly girls are relegated to ply their trade of dancing, gyrating, and trying to catch the eye (and wallet) of a falang (Westerner).
Well, the place mentioned above doesn't actually exist. Its a canard, an illusion as seen through the eyes of a hormone crazed falang male. In reality something very different is going on. Oh, there are certainly unattractive women gyrating in the back, and that the performers in the front might accurately be described by many as stunning. If you peek behind the curtain, or in this case the g-string of the beauties dancing in the front, the illusion will be shattered, blown away into millions of tiny pieces.
You see that underneath the g-string are not the womanly parts that one might expect on a such an apparent model of feminine beauty. No instead, if you lift the veil, you will see the naughty parts of a boy. That's right, the dancers in front are not women, but rather are katoeys.
A katoey, also known as a ladyboy, is a transgender Thai male who as most transgender males do, poses as a women. You could say there is a different level of commitment among katoeys. What I mean is that some ladyboys are really just gay men who cross dress and wear makeup. Those are not the type dancing in shows and fooling watchers as to their gender.
Others have taken more drastic measures to embrace their inner femininity. Many have artificial breast implants and take estrogen hormones. Some even go so far as to have surgery to change their actual sex organs. Apparently Thai surgeons have become adept at using the tissue of a penis to form a vagina. They say that it is very difficult for a man to tell that the person was not always a woman when they have had such surgeries. There are katoey who even add to the illusion by having their Adams apple surgically shaved.
While Thailand is certainly not unique in having transgender people, there are a number of things that set them apart in Thailand. One of the first things is the beauty of some of these individuals. There are katoey who when clothed look like very attractive women. In some ways they have advantages over "real" Thai women in that they are generally taller, and have larger breasts. Many a john in Thailand has been surprised when the "lady" he brings back to his room can effortlessly pee while standing.
Certainly not all the katoeys are difficult to distinguish. Its not at all uncommon when I go to a mall or grocery store to spot a katoey. Of course, the fact that I can spot them means they are not some of the more beautiful ones. Its very easy to tell by looking at the face of some ladyboys that they are/were in fact men.
One thing that is different than in the U.S. is that the katoey are relatively accepted in Thai culture. I know some attribute it to the accepting nature of the Buddhist population, but I think the prominence of the sex trade here has also increased the number of katoey and led to their greater acceptance. Thai people don't treat katoey poorly, and I haven't heard of any violence targetted agains them. People in polite Thai society do not turn their head in disgust at the sight of a katoey. They largely accept them for who they are.
While katoeys are "accepted", they are certainly not treated as one of the guys. Katoey are generally hired in roles largely staffed by women, including the sex industry. I seriously doubt that you would see a katoey serve as a plant manager at a factory, or as a police or fireman.
A lot of katoey engage in prostitution to make their living. They can make more money by selling their bodies than they can doing more "traditional" work. Some of the more attractive ones may star in cabaret shows starring an entire cast of ladyboys. Tim and I went to one of these shows in Phucket about ten years ago, and it was amazing. It was one of those times that you are glad you knew they were men ahead of time so you didn't say anything to really embarrass yourself. Other occupations commonly held by ladyboys include hair dressers and waitresses.
Even though Thai's treat their transgender brethren more kindly than do many other people, life for a katoey certainly cannot be easy. I'm not sure what the prolonged effects of estrogen hormone treatment on a man are, but my guess is they are not positive. A lot of katoey are also drug users, and those earning their daily bread in the sex industry are often engaging in the least safe sex.
Another issue for katoey is that they do not have an official legal status. They are still men. If they are convicted of a crime, they serve their sentence in a men's facility. Once there, the likelihood of rape or abuse is probably fairly high.
Okay, you've read what katoeys are about. Here are some pictures of katoey.
The ladyboy band Venus Flytrap is above.
5th Time a Charm
On Sunday, we hired our fifth driver. While there is a certain perverse pleasure in seeing how many drivers a family can go through in a two year period (we were on track for about 16), the frustration of having to deal with the revolving door of dummies, dunderheads and dumbasses was just not worth it. Fortunately, this time, we seem to have gotten lucky.
Our first driver had been a messenger at Tim's company before he started driving for us. The next three drivers were recommended by the same agency that provides our maid and nanny. I am grateful that they are better at recommending maids and nannies than they are drivers.
Interestingly, I was the one who found Thum. Well, sort of. Last week I was having a meeting with a couple of moms for my son's cub scout den and I made some comment about not having a driver and explained some of the challenges that we've had. One of the moms, Megan, said that she actually knew a really good driver who was available.
Megan explained that Thum had driven for her and another Nichada family a few days a week. As Thum needed full time employment, he ended up having to leave to find another job. She gave me his contact number.
As he only speaks a little English, Tim gave him a call. He came by on Sunday to talk to us and we ended up hiring him. So far we have been really pleased. Thum seems to know his way around pretty well, and understands what a driver is supposed to do. Another nice thing is that he actually lives five minutes away from where we do. This is good for him for a few reasons. It really cuts down his transportation time. That is particularly nice since sometimes Tim works late at night. Having a five minute motorcycle ride home is a lot nicer than a 45 minute bus ride after driving the boss home at 9:00 p.m.
Since he is so close, Tim and are fine with him actually waiting at his house when we aren't using him Normally the drivers take Tim to work, drop her off, and come back to the house in case I need to go anywhere. They end up hanging around here, often napping in the car. We told him that so long as he is responsive if I call, he can go home and wait there if he likes.
Anyway, hopefully this will work out well.
Our first driver had been a messenger at Tim's company before he started driving for us. The next three drivers were recommended by the same agency that provides our maid and nanny. I am grateful that they are better at recommending maids and nannies than they are drivers.
Interestingly, I was the one who found Thum. Well, sort of. Last week I was having a meeting with a couple of moms for my son's cub scout den and I made some comment about not having a driver and explained some of the challenges that we've had. One of the moms, Megan, said that she actually knew a really good driver who was available.
Megan explained that Thum had driven for her and another Nichada family a few days a week. As Thum needed full time employment, he ended up having to leave to find another job. She gave me his contact number.
As he only speaks a little English, Tim gave him a call. He came by on Sunday to talk to us and we ended up hiring him. So far we have been really pleased. Thum seems to know his way around pretty well, and understands what a driver is supposed to do. Another nice thing is that he actually lives five minutes away from where we do. This is good for him for a few reasons. It really cuts down his transportation time. That is particularly nice since sometimes Tim works late at night. Having a five minute motorcycle ride home is a lot nicer than a 45 minute bus ride after driving the boss home at 9:00 p.m.
Since he is so close, Tim and are fine with him actually waiting at his house when we aren't using him Normally the drivers take Tim to work, drop her off, and come back to the house in case I need to go anywhere. They end up hanging around here, often napping in the car. We told him that so long as he is responsive if I call, he can go home and wait there if he likes.
Anyway, hopefully this will work out well.
Mai Me Kanome Bang
This roughly translates to "we are out of bread". Now, I expect to hear that occasionally from the maid here at the house, but not when I go to Subway. Yeah, that's right, when I stopped by Subway to pick up dinner tonight at 5:00 p.m., they were out of bread. I don't mean they were baking some and it wasn't complete, they were just plain out of bread.
Unfortunately, places seem to run out of things quite a bit here. Sometimes its understandable. The grocery Store Villa (was at least at one time part of IGA for those of you who recognize that grocery chain) here in Nichada stocks a lot of Western items. They receive a shipment from the U.S. about once a month. So its not uncommon for them to run out of certain things. We feel this shortage because Aleena only drinks one brand of soy milk, Westsoy. Whenever Villa gets it in stock, I buy a bunch of it.
There are other times where running out of things is not so expected. Like the Subway running out of bread. It really shouldn't happen. There is another restaurant in Nichada, a little place that serves pizza, hot dogs, fries, pasta and a few other dishes. I've been there 4 or 5 times with the kids, and they are always running out of things. Either I am just incredibly gifted at picking the one thing that they are out of, or they really do a poor job stocking their inventory. At least twice they've been out of french fries, one time hamburgers, and other ham for a club sandwich. I might not think this is so funny if not for the fact that there is a grocery store thirty feet from the restaurant, and I know the grocery store has french fries (not one of the items that they seem to run out of frequently), ham and frozen hamburgers.
So what do you do when you go to a Subway and they have no bread? The same thing you have to do whenever you encounter problems here, just smile and say "mai been rai klab".
Unfortunately, places seem to run out of things quite a bit here. Sometimes its understandable. The grocery Store Villa (was at least at one time part of IGA for those of you who recognize that grocery chain) here in Nichada stocks a lot of Western items. They receive a shipment from the U.S. about once a month. So its not uncommon for them to run out of certain things. We feel this shortage because Aleena only drinks one brand of soy milk, Westsoy. Whenever Villa gets it in stock, I buy a bunch of it.
There are other times where running out of things is not so expected. Like the Subway running out of bread. It really shouldn't happen. There is another restaurant in Nichada, a little place that serves pizza, hot dogs, fries, pasta and a few other dishes. I've been there 4 or 5 times with the kids, and they are always running out of things. Either I am just incredibly gifted at picking the one thing that they are out of, or they really do a poor job stocking their inventory. At least twice they've been out of french fries, one time hamburgers, and other ham for a club sandwich. I might not think this is so funny if not for the fact that there is a grocery store thirty feet from the restaurant, and I know the grocery store has french fries (not one of the items that they seem to run out of frequently), ham and frozen hamburgers.
So what do you do when you go to a Subway and they have no bread? The same thing you have to do whenever you encounter problems here, just smile and say "mai been rai klab".
Sunday, January 13, 2008
New Camera Gear
Before I came to Thailand, I decided I would like to learn more about photography and graduate from the point and shoot method of picture taking. To that end, I bought a Canon Digital Rebel EOS 350D, an entry level SLR camera. Along with the kit lens, I bought a 70-300 zoom lens made by Sigma.
Now, I'll have to say that I was pretty disappointed in the pictures that I have been taking. Sure, there are some that I really liked, but if I stood at half court and heaved the ball a few thousand times, I'm sure I would have some swishes. I had two problems, me and the camera lenses.
I did a little reading, but really didn't pay a lot of attention to f-stops and shudder speeds. A lot of the problem with my pictures were that the shutter speed was too fast. In my defense, the vast majority of those bad pictures were shot in auto mode. But then again, if I wanted to shoot in auto mode, I should have just bought a nicer point and shoot camera.
Still, my own ineptitude was only part of the problem. The lenses that I was using were not only inexpensive, but they were cheap as well. Yeah, my zoom lens had a big range, but the quality was low. After some research, I realized that I needed to invest in some new lenses.
I found a nice website for Canon EOS beginners here. The site had a nice discussion on the different types of lenses available. I soon learned that there is a huge range in price and quality for camera lenses. Like so many things in life, you get what you pay for, and quality cost money.
The Cannon "L" series are their top of the line lenses. They are made with high quality material, durable, contain technological improvements, and quite frankly take the best pictures. The price for the "L" series lenses can be quite high. I really wanted to pick up a 24-70mm 2.8 L USM lens, but here it cost about $1,300. As I am still very much a beginner, I had a hard time justifying that expense.
As the "L" series was out, I tried to decide between buying a less expensive Canon lens or a third party lens. Sigma, Tamron and Tokina all make lenses compatible with Canon cameras. The quality of the Canon (and the warranty) were weighed against the better "numbers" of the third party lenses.
Tim and I headed out to the Fortune IT mall. This is a mall where you can buy all kinds of electronics, including computers, cameras, cell phones and more. They also boast a number of shops that sell DVD's and computer software for the low price of $3 - $5 per disk. How do they do it? Fortune was convenient because it also had a place that repaired laptops. (See my previous post).
We found a few stores that had a decent selection of lenses. They didn't have everything I would have liked, and the prices were a bit higher than I'd hoped. I would probably have done much better buying the lenses in Hong Kong for both price and selection, but we ran out of time and I really had not done my research.
In the end, I bought a few things. First, I got the Canon 50 f1.8 lens for $110. Yeah, you can get it cheaper in the states, but I'm here in Krung Tepe. My research showed that this is a very good lens for taking portraits. It has no zoom, but its really a good bargain.
As my "main" lens, I bought a Tamron AF 17-50 mm f2.8 lens for about $350. The numbers are really solid on the lens, and the price was very reasonable. I know I'm not going to take pictures that are going to grace the cover of magazines with this lens, but it should serve me well. Since I plan on upgrading to a nicer Canon lens within the next year, I don't feel so bad about spending $350 on this one. The one catch is that the warranty is only through the camera store. If I need it fixed, I have to take it there. If this were a lens that I planned on using for years and years, I would not agree to that (though of course, even Canon's warranty is only 2 years, and the 2nd year might only be for Thailand).
I also picked up the 430ex flash and a camera vest. A lot of my shorts have multiple pockets, but sometimes the heavier lens bangs against my knee. Okay, the real reason that I bought the vest is my secret desire to look like a complete dork, a desire that I am sure that I have never yet achieved. Screw you who say otherwise!
The upshot is that I'll be taking more pictures and posting them for you to see. Well, I'll post them once I get my laptop back this week.
Now, I'll have to say that I was pretty disappointed in the pictures that I have been taking. Sure, there are some that I really liked, but if I stood at half court and heaved the ball a few thousand times, I'm sure I would have some swishes. I had two problems, me and the camera lenses.
I did a little reading, but really didn't pay a lot of attention to f-stops and shudder speeds. A lot of the problem with my pictures were that the shutter speed was too fast. In my defense, the vast majority of those bad pictures were shot in auto mode. But then again, if I wanted to shoot in auto mode, I should have just bought a nicer point and shoot camera.
Still, my own ineptitude was only part of the problem. The lenses that I was using were not only inexpensive, but they were cheap as well. Yeah, my zoom lens had a big range, but the quality was low. After some research, I realized that I needed to invest in some new lenses.
I found a nice website for Canon EOS beginners here. The site had a nice discussion on the different types of lenses available. I soon learned that there is a huge range in price and quality for camera lenses. Like so many things in life, you get what you pay for, and quality cost money.
The Cannon "L" series are their top of the line lenses. They are made with high quality material, durable, contain technological improvements, and quite frankly take the best pictures. The price for the "L" series lenses can be quite high. I really wanted to pick up a 24-70mm 2.8 L USM lens, but here it cost about $1,300. As I am still very much a beginner, I had a hard time justifying that expense.
As the "L" series was out, I tried to decide between buying a less expensive Canon lens or a third party lens. Sigma, Tamron and Tokina all make lenses compatible with Canon cameras. The quality of the Canon (and the warranty) were weighed against the better "numbers" of the third party lenses.
Tim and I headed out to the Fortune IT mall. This is a mall where you can buy all kinds of electronics, including computers, cameras, cell phones and more. They also boast a number of shops that sell DVD's and computer software for the low price of $3 - $5 per disk. How do they do it? Fortune was convenient because it also had a place that repaired laptops. (See my previous post).
We found a few stores that had a decent selection of lenses. They didn't have everything I would have liked, and the prices were a bit higher than I'd hoped. I would probably have done much better buying the lenses in Hong Kong for both price and selection, but we ran out of time and I really had not done my research.
In the end, I bought a few things. First, I got the Canon 50 f1.8 lens for $110. Yeah, you can get it cheaper in the states, but I'm here in Krung Tepe. My research showed that this is a very good lens for taking portraits. It has no zoom, but its really a good bargain.
As my "main" lens, I bought a Tamron AF 17-50 mm f2.8 lens for about $350. The numbers are really solid on the lens, and the price was very reasonable. I know I'm not going to take pictures that are going to grace the cover of magazines with this lens, but it should serve me well. Since I plan on upgrading to a nicer Canon lens within the next year, I don't feel so bad about spending $350 on this one. The one catch is that the warranty is only through the camera store. If I need it fixed, I have to take it there. If this were a lens that I planned on using for years and years, I would not agree to that (though of course, even Canon's warranty is only 2 years, and the 2nd year might only be for Thailand).
I also picked up the 430ex flash and a camera vest. A lot of my shorts have multiple pockets, but sometimes the heavier lens bangs against my knee. Okay, the real reason that I bought the vest is my secret desire to look like a complete dork, a desire that I am sure that I have never yet achieved. Screw you who say otherwise!
The upshot is that I'll be taking more pictures and posting them for you to see. Well, I'll post them once I get my laptop back this week.
Laptop Diagnosis
Well, I took my laptop in for repair today. The technitian told Tim that it was my graphics card and something with my power supply. He has to order some parts, so it will take 3 or 4 days and cost about $150.
So, for the next few days, I'm still stuck blogging on this old PC.
So, for the next few days, I'm still stuck blogging on this old PC.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)