Off to a good start

We're doing mojitoes and cheese here in Khon Kaen. Too bad I can't give you a mojito. But here's some cheese :)



A happy 2008!

Now what?! (8)

Last post of 2007. Part of the most popular post-series on my blog: Now what?! That's gotta be because of the insane prizes we give away every time. And all you have to do is get your hands on the buzzer and -quiet in the audience please- be the first to tell us what brand this is....





Piece of cake. Ish. Get it? And the he answer is.... In the comments! (But you knew that, right?)

The day after the night before

Well: it seems the PPP (and therefor Thaksin's former party members) have won the elections. What's next? It will be interesting. Who will rule with whom in the coalition government? Will the bigger-than-ever-democrates join their archenemy? Will the military really let this slide? Will Thaksin indeed come back on Valentines day and will he still need to face corruption charges? I don't know. I do know that the poor people of Thailand have clearly voiced what they want and who they want. Forget coups and what some rich people in Bangkok had planned. That's democracy.

But you've got to wonder if the poor have made a clever, well informed choice here. Because the media do play a role and so does public opinion. But the average Thai does not get is info online, on TV, or in the paper. Information like that is just not out there they way it is in western countries. And if it were (see my post yesterday)it might not make a difference. Candidates rely on being known in an area, on word of mouth and... on this way of putting their message across believe it or not (roll tape):

Election fever!

More than a year after Thailand got rid of PM Thaksin by military coup, it's time for elections. Exciting. And also weird because it is the democratic process as we know it in the west, but with a Thai twist of course.

It is said some people just vote what their boss tells them to. It is said entire villages simply get bought to vote for a particular candidate. It is said that mobsters are making more money than ever because all of the people other people want bumped off. Colorful to say the least. But that's not what makes this interesting for me. It's the parties and the fact that they don't seem matter all that much. Here they are:

Democrat party
Chart Thai party
Matchima Thipataya party
People Power party
Pracharaj party
Puea Paendin party
Ruam Jai Thai Chart Pattana party

Long story short: the first two are major parties of their own. The rest is all either made up of Thaksin's former Thai Rak Thai-party-members or small potatoes. And the People Power Party even has Thaksin in the wings as an advisor.

That's not why the parties don't matter much however. It's that Thai people don't really seem to care about party policies. They favor somebody local they know in some way, that will hopefully make a difference for them. 'I know his second sister's daughter's son-in-law, they're good honest people.' That type of deal.

Who's winning: check it out here (if they don't take it away like last time)

Bamboo breathing

Lately I've been reading up on zazen, which is the zen Buddhists' way of meditating. That's how I came across the book Zen Training by Kastsuki Sekida. Order it. A very interesting book, especially if you're like me and dislike all the vagueness that surrounds meditation. And it is especially interesting because it describes a way of breathing I'd never come across before: the bamboo method.

Not so long ago I would have said:'No forcing the breath in any way.' But since Mr. Sekida vividly described a relationship between mental focus and keeping tension in the diaphragm I decided to give it a go. With amazing results. To fully explain it in detail would take too much space and time (go on: just order the book), but I will say a couple of things about it so you can try it out:

1) The graph below (click to enlarge) represents two bamboo breathing cycles; the volume of air in the lungs and the time.



Normally our breathing goes up (in) and down (out) roughly between the red and the green line. But as you can see our line starts of by sinking below the red line. We exhale deeply, pulling the abdomen in against the spine, stopping a little now and then (like the thicker parts on a piece of bamboo). And then we breathe in slowly (with stopping). After that we have a series of normal breaths, followed again by that deep exhalation.

The stopping (which occurs more or less naturally in normal breathing as you can see) and the deep exhalation is what keeps the tension in your abdomen and heightens your concentration and therefore the depth of your meditation.

2) There is only abdominal breathing.

That means you do not breathe with your chest (gasping), which would make you go over the green line. Your belly should rise and fall. Everything else should remain as still as possible.

3) Use light force only.

This graph is NOT designed to be followed to the second and millilitre. When you stop and put tension on your diaphragm exactly and how deep you exhale in relation to your inhalation depends on many things, in fact: on you. No stress. You will find that this pattern of breathing will come quite naturally after a while.

Nohohonzoku Swings

Nohohonzoku by Tomy.

Music by Ben Herman from the killer album Get In.

Editing by moonlight because I've got way too much time ...

In other news...

Part of traveling to the Burmese border is meeting people and eating their food. It's also seeing Burmese TV. Since I don't travel with a DVD-recorder or a VCR in my pack I had to make due with my good old digital camera. So here's a segment of a fair and balanced Burmese news cast. It went on and on like this. And yes, unfortunately this guy is for real....



Edit, 12/12: He's probably saying how good the crops are this year and the people have plenty to eat thanks to the state and its leader and all is well, sleep tight, don't let the police dogs bite, if you're wondering...

Return from Sangkhlaburi

Sometimes you have to get away. Not to the umpteenth beach resort, something new, fresh, without Seven Elevens and hamburgers. Sangkhlaburi is such a place. And I almost dread writing about it, because it's so nice and peaceful now. A small hill resort scene has sprung up already. So keep this one quiet, O.K.? You should visit for the sheer beauty of the hills, the drive there, the cool air, the treks and of course because you'll feel like you're not in Thailand. Most people are at least half Burmese, or Mon, or Karen. And so is the food and the atmosphere. That is of course because you are almost in Burma (map).

Here's a shot of Sangkhlaburi's Famous Longest Wooden Bridge in Thailand:

Some locals kidding around and smoking cheroots at the market:

And finally this lovely painted face: