Showing posts with label bangkok. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bangkok. Show all posts

Saturday 9 December 2023

Jenny Constantine Interviews Clif High





Clif advised us to get into bitcoin when it was under $20 and wasn't an existential threat to the Federal Reserve. I was running barefoot round Benjakiti Park in Bangkok in those days as I couldn't afford a pair of trainers and was living off vapours. I was happy fit and healthy though so no regrets. I also studied a lot, listening to anyone who was interesting online. I still do.


This interview is a good one. I'm familiar with most of Clif's schtick and I don't agree with everything he says but from time to time he just drops more knowledge demonstrating he really is a 3rd Millennium Renaissance man. Inventor, Thinker, Coder, Linguist and general polymath as well as martial arts.


If you're having trouble sleeping, Cliff developed an all natural sleep aid called Pure Sleep, because the body only puts on mass during sleep and he was about 60 Kilos after a stomach tumour was removed. Demand for Pure Sleep has sometimes outstripped supply with very positive reviews. There's no melatonin or hangover effect but the reason I know it's good is how he was transformed by his own product. The first image was about 2016 and the next is relatively recent. Give it a try if you're struggling. 




Monday 22 August 2022

I Leaned Back On My Radio







Even with the Medium and Long wave crackle pop and hiss, it's the warmest sound since the Mac Valve amplifiers went down in the fire at our gaff, next door to the Peninsula Hotel in Bangkok.

I lived there on the banks of the Chao Phraya river when the twin towers came down. LaterI learned the Mossad guys were downstairs with the Landlord who was having a dinner party.......... I interrupted, to alert a friend.

The images are from the online sales platform I bought it from, but the radio looks stunning after refurbishing so I'm thinking of tinkering with it.


Sunday 5 September 2021

Emily Barker ft. Frank Turner - Bound For Home (Official video)




The songs lyrics and the singer (Emily Barker) reached into my unconscious and pulled me out of a very deep sleep/unconsciousness. I fell asleep with the radio on and came round because of the haunting lyrics and music.

It's happened once before in Bangkok, around 2009 when I was running around on the KLEIN. In that instance it was ELOs Strange Magic, and I feel profoundly that both times were examples of Grace (the uncountable Christian noun).

Thursday 15 July 2021

Mythos - By Stephen Fry



A couple of years ago, I was working in a complex care home with people who have tricky mental health issues. We had all sorts there, a murderer, bipolar folks, borderline personality disorder, schizophrenics... you get the picture.

It wasn't for me though. I found the work rewarding, but I couldn't switch off after working hours, and I definitely suffered with transference.

In the end I was taken ill with that whole Brachial Neuritus thing which left me with half a paralysed hand after six weeks, but before I quit, one of my colleagues bought me Stephen Fry's Heroes book about Greek Mythology. I was really chuffed with it, but because it was the second book after Mythos, I thought it best to read part one first. I'm OCD on things like that.

Southampton Central library only had Mythos as an audio book, and it's taken me six months to listen to it properly, but what an experience. It's up there with Professor Freedman's Early middle ages lectures at Yale for opening up quite a complex subject that had previously always baffled me.

The thing with Greek mythology that had stymied my wish to understand the subject, is that it's all about the hierarchy of the Gods, or rather the Titans, The Gods, The Olympians and so forth, much like John Dee's empire of Angels.

Once the structure is in place, then another world opens up which is so bizarre that I'll leave it to you to find out how weird it is, but let's just say that internecine isn't too incestuous a word, but if anybody came up with these 'stories' in modern times, there would probably be some readers asking if a shrink might be in order.

It's that effing weird.

Oddly enough, I was once snared by some USA dude from what I assume to be an alphabet agency, who wanted to check me out and let me stew in the process for way longer than necessary.

However after he'd done his thing he told me that everything I needed to know was embedded in the mythology of the Greek gods, and here I am ten years or so later and realising he wasn't bluffing.

Monday 21 October 2019

Toxic Prurience



Freer & Blue in Cambodia


It's been a few years now so I don't mind publishing these private emails as the lesson still applies today for those with ears to hear, and eyes to see.

My good friend Peter Doran in Bangkok was a self-made multi-millionaire. He was striking to look at, tough as hell and stricken with the most aggressive bouts of violent depression.

He was a dangerous man to be around, but he was also one of the most generous, funny and clever people I ever met. I considered him to be an older brother, but from time to time it came at great expense.

I recall once he was pissed off with his brother Johnnie who had left for New York and decided to stitch him up by finding out some hotel details of a client/friend who was staying at The Conrad in Bangkok. Earlier that day he had tried to overdose and I was starting my new job as Planning Director at Dentsu Bangkok. It was literally my first day and so I could only help by calling another friend (Frank Duvi) to go check up on Pete or Blue as we called him. 

As there was no answer from his bedroom, I instructed Frank to break down the door, a job he was capable of as a former French foreign legionnaire and Muay Thai boxer.

Anyway, after work, I headed over to Blue's and that's when he decided to take me for a drink down The Conrad in the Diplomat bar, a place I frequented regularly, he pulled out a scrap of paper with the room number of his brother's friend, and proceeded to order a 1500 pounds sterling bottle of champagne on that rooms tab.

I was frozen with fear, as it was clear Blue was in a mess from his earlier suicide attempt, and he didn't look particularly credible with a scrap of paper reading the room number out to the barwoman. Anyway, she took the order and delivered the champagne in an ice bucket wrapped in immaculate white napkins. We drank it and then we left to head over to Patpong GoGo bars. I only breathed a sigh of relief when we got in the cab. My next visit to that bar was very uncomfortable, as the kindly barwoman recognised me, but didn't say anything. It was not my order but I was complicit.

In any case the reason I am bringing up Blue is that he had access to a mutual friend's email account and he had made a habit of reading all his private emails on a regular basis for a couple of years. That is until, as you can see above, he forwarded me an email one day, thinking I'd understand it was not him but being forwarded, but instead I blew his cover by responding to our mutual friend as if the email was meant for me.

Blue was very angry with me, our friend Tim Ramos the owner of the email account who was a multi-millionaire sex-addict retiree from Hawaii was mad at me, thinking I'd colluded with Blue although I had done nothing but respond to that forwarded email which was quite insulting and so my reply was caustic, to say the least.

Anyway, the purpose of this post is to share that when the dust had settled, Blue admitted that having access to Tim's email had been corrosive and had fed an obsession that had become toxic to him in the end, as any addicted snooper and peeping tom will reveal when asking how and why their prurience had affected them.

I live a fairly open life and try not to have any secrets, because I know that it's your secrets that kill you in the end. 

I eat, shit, fuck, smoke, fart and wank like the old bachelor I am who prefers not to copulate with ladies just for the sex, as I feel it's damaging to be in a fake relationship, (although I'm always on the lookout for someone special). Lady luck is always a possibility.

I have found that those who obsess over me, are always the same, and have recurring observable traits. 

Insanely jealous, insecure and inveterate liars who have no grasp that some of us don't lie for convenience. 

Snoopers are the meconium of the universe, and that applies to Pete's email 'hacking' and to anyone else who lives vicariously.

Get a life. 

Mine is already taken.

Monday 7 March 2016

Sunday 23 August 2015

Are Mossad Behind the Bangkok Bomb?




My first analysis was the Bangkok bomb had military grade explosive (and flash), targeted at tourists to hurt Thailand's tourism industry as a whole. 

Given the deepening ties between Thailand, Russia and China and their approval of a Palestinian State it was only a matter of time before the axis of evil (including CIA and MI6) would attack Thailand. I also have it on good authority that the Royal Thai Police are aware of Mossad drug trafficking through Chabad House in Bangkok.

I don't agree with all the points made in the following article but I think the Bangkok bomb was from outside forces and the only suspects are the usual ones when it comes to international threats and intimidation.

The bomb plays into whoever is in power's hands as they can crank up the need for security against their enemies. I notice the military grade explosive and flash was downgraded to 'improvised device' in the media, which tells me the people who know, don't want others to know.

Another excellent write up is over at Aangirfan


August 20-21, 2015 -- Mossad either getting sloppier or more arrogant in Bangkok bombing by Wayne Madsen.
Posted by Wayne Madsen Report on Saturday, 22 August 2015


Wednesday 22 January 2014

Ian Taylor & Cece Nobre

 


One of my favourite photographers Ian Taylor who specialises in children was the inspiration for Bangkok based Graffiti artist Cece Nobre. You can follow them both on Facebook. Ian here and Cece here.


Thursday 9 January 2014

Pan American Airline Archive Film for Thailand




The voice over at 10 minutes says 'Kites such as this represent Siamese men. Nowhere else in the world are kite flyers such skilled manipulators. Competing with the male kites are frivolous and wriggling female kites'

If we take into account that kite flying in Thai is a metaphor for having a tug I think this promotional video has a lot more subtext than would otherwise be evident.

The film relies on the Asian clichés that I've talked about in The Wonderful World of Suzie Wong and The Ugly American that was filmed in Thailand.

Strangely enough a Zbigniew Brzezinski character steps off the Pan American plane in the beginning. I don't recognise many of the roads apart from Ratchadamnoen and a distant Victory Monument in the beginning, but some look like Chinatown as they're one-way a lot of the time. There's plenty of Wat Arun and Wat Phra Kaew.

There's lots of guff in this propaganda film, such as a claim that Thais eat one pound of rice a day. That's not the case even if they are referring to cooked rice and completely impossible if referring to dry rice.

I just checked. It's 285 grams a day 

However there are some nice clips of old Bangkok, and it's worth a watch for the enthusiast. There's a nice opening scene of the view from Pratumnak Hill overlooking the crescent bay of Pattaya

To the south is Jomtien Beach but that isn't shown.

Bangkok Photograph by Ian Taylor

Tuesday 7 January 2014

Bangkok Street Scenes 1971




There's some real vintage Thailand video-gems being uploaded to Youtube these days. Many are from seasoned German tourists visiting Thailand back in the day, with cine film cameras and now sharing their home edited films and so forth. 

This one has street scenes from Bangkok including the old Erawan Shrine before it was smashed up by a mentally ill person who was then chased and killed by a mob (mob mentality).

There are also Chinatown (Yaowarat) scenes, Ratchadamnoen Avenue (I think), the Art Deco Hua  Lamphong Station, Khlong Saen Sab (by the looks of the low bridge) and possibly Rama IV.

If I've made any mistakes or you spot anything else I'd love to hear from you. 

I've also been posting some vintage Pattaya and Jomtien Beach videos over at my Jomtien blog.

Friday 1 November 2013

The Real Bangkok




A little bit morbid in subject matter, but The Guardian have made an outstanding piece of film, that captures my favourite City in the world, in a gritty but elegant way.

This film of Bangkok, connects with me more than any of the bland upmarket shopping malls and consumer-lifestyle marketing images of Bangkok, that focus on superficial cosmetic beauty. 

I know many of the places where this was filmed, and understand the main character talking without the subtitles. He's in a reflective mood that isn't easy to capture on film with Thais that don't know you. It takes a little time before that unguarded talk comes out.

Yet even in it's worst light this creation is powerful filming for me and a reminder of how much I love the people and the city.

Here's my attempt to film the Bangkok I see.

Sunday 14 July 2013

Love Is Blind




Love is blind - CFBT, a home for the blind with multiple disabilities in Thailand from Froggystyle

If you live in Thailand I'd be grateful if you could pass this around and share it. The Thai Version is here and the website for the Blind School is here.

Thanks.

Monday 1 July 2013

The Queen of England's Jewel Encrusted Minge






The Queen has never once said anything interesting. She has never cried, laughed, hugged, joked or done anything that came close to human. She could be a robot minge and the British saps would lap her up and her paedophile James Bond MI6 films. They love it and one day they will choke on it.

Saturday 9 March 2013

International Vagrant In Burma, Japan, Thailand & Hong Kong

Hurrah!! I just received my portable hard drive back from over a year in storage and I've been looking through all the stuff again. I'm really pleased because I've got a bunch of files including my first digital photography back from when I travelled around Burma with an Olympus C-2000 that I wrote about over here. I'm really chuffed to rescue those amazing fishermen shots just down the road from Ngapali beach that you can see above and which I wrote about here and here. Then there's also the Nokia 8250 launch party in Bangkok on Feb 23, 2001. I can only remember the phone model because of the sign to the rear of this chap Johnny Doran from Saville Productions below, with 'Walk on the blue side'. Remember when a blue Screen was the latest thang? Before mobile cameras and colour displays.

There are the trips to Bagan, the ancient capital of Burma. You might need to click on it to see this stitched together panorama shot. The journey took me over 24 hours on a nightmare bus journey that I wrote about here. Bagan took a hit during an earthquake in '74 I think but its still breathtaking to imagine the monks, merchants, families, kids and officials running around this place, breathing life into it around the time that the Normans gave us a good hiding at the battle of Hastings isn't it?


I've now also got the shots from many trips to Cambodia (but not the one where I went missing in the heart of darkness for a few days) including Angkor Wat, which is just plain spesh because of all that South Indian influenced Jayavarman architecture. Khmer culture is so important to S.E. Asia.

Then there is me during my camp yachting period around the Andaman Sea. Never was a hangover washed away so quickly than by jumping off the Piraya (our boat) in the morning.



Not to mention my gay cowboy look long before Brokeback mountain was a hit. That was quite a smash hit with the ladies, if I recall correctly. Cowboy boots 'n all.

The Tokyo period which was all too short because Tokyo ROCKS as far as I'm concerned.

But the wack stuff I've saved is from Hong Kong.


And no photo story can be complete without those Bangkok nights. As a friend of mine once said. More can happen in a Bangkok night than most might expect to happen in a year. This was taken on Soi Cowboy.


And of course those Hua Hin days, weeks and months. It never occurred to me before but I guess this blog is as good a place as any to explain why this bug very memorably fell in LOVE with me and then scared the very life out of me.

Any requests? ;)

Wednesday 29 August 2012

90+ Dead Unarmed Civilians Yet Royal Thai Army Snipers Claim: “We Used Fake Bullets”




Royal Thai Army snipers are now claiming they used fake bullets when called to answer in front of a civilian criminal investigation. General Prayuth Chan-ocha and the Prime Minister at the time Abhisit Vejjajiva should take responsibility but as you can tell from the malodorous lies (and the video above) there's no intention of being men about it. They shame the institutions they claim to serve. 

They let down the people they didn't kill. It's just business.

Monday 23 July 2012

Barefoot In Benjakiti






Apart from being a nice park one of the advantages of the running path around the park's lake is that it's exactly 1.8 kilometres and so it's easy to keep a track of distance. That's not me in the promo but I did meet him once.

Wednesday 11 January 2012

How To Deal With Slow Walking Pedestrian Traffic




Earlier this week I took a thought I had one step further. Ten years ago rushing in Thailand was seen as vulgar and so people walked slowly. I always complained about it to my girlfriend and she explained that it wasn't proper to be seen rushing. Cultured people knew the value of time and so finely developed people took things slowly and this rubbed off on the peasant classes too. 

These days Bangkok is much like any other big city in many places but I realised the single largest catalyst towards this was not business but the Skytrain which was  launched I think in year 2000. At first the locals shunned it ( I have photography of empty rush hour carriages) but when it connected up with the underground in 2005 (I think) that really shoved people into rush mode and now I find myself regretting that I never appreciated the not so old days when people moved with elegance and grace.

Wednesday 9 November 2011

Bangkok Earthquakes & Webbots With Clif High & Suzanne Toro



Slightly disconcertingly and in addition to the forecast of semi permanent flooding it appears a Bangkok earthquake isn't too far of a stretch either, and is outlined in the first part of this interview with Clif High. I've familiarized myself with the 'triangle of life' zones here over six months ago, but it's a good thing to brush up on them if you're unaware of the most simple and effective life saving manoeuvre a person can acquaint themselves with in the event of an earthquake. It only takes a few minutes.

The interview is again top notch and we even learn that Clif is familiar with the Mayan calendar mural part of the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. 

I wonder if he knows about that the Federal Reserve building lease expiring on the winter solstice of 2012? The plot thickens.

Flood Evacuation Center For Foreigners