Bang Saen Beach

Located in Chonburi province, about 70 km south-east of Bangkok. Not a bad place to spend a few hours under the beach umbrellas and enjoy good sea food.

Thai ficition

Novels that should be published:

Thutiyawiseit, Bunluea Theipphayasuwan, 1968
Cobra, Wa-nit Jarungkit-anan, 1987
The white shadow, Saneh Sangsuk, 1994 (See also: L'Ombre blanche)
Kan Lom Salai..., Arunwadi Arunmart, 1996 (See: La Voix du sang)
Across Their Dream, Prachakhom Lunachai, 2000

Recommended by Marcel Barang’s Thai Fiction in Translation.

Diner Dharma

TEXAS MAN PREGNANT!
Gives Birth to a Buddhist Monk
“It’s a Boy! It’s a Book! It’s Supermonk!”

Texas author A. D. Thompson has astounded the literary world by impregnating himself by spontaneous self-symbiotic conception and publishing the resultant book DINER DHARMA with the Publishing Imprint Lulu.

Thompson absorbed stories on his travels in Asia, Africa, Native and Latin Americas. He gave them to Monk who proceeded to relate them to a cast of local characters and passers-thru the fictional town of Ataboy, Texas who- like the stories- soon took on a life of their own.

Travels with the Fish author C Y Gopinath had this to say: “Thompson should have been on a Harley Davidson riding some arrow straight road in a blue-sky desert. This book is meant to be sipped between destination-free journeys, a few sips at each halt so that its voices may grow on you and become like diner buddies. Dan Thompson's gift is brevity and his wit lies in the words he allows others to speak.” Gary Dale Bulldog Cearley, author of Lurid Tales from Bawdville (also of Lulu Press), added that DINER DHARMA was “funnier than a duck at a cock fight!”

Thompson, the proud father of all this brouhaha, as surprised as anyone about birthing a Buddhist monk in rural West Texas claimed he could not explain and insisted all his acts of creation are safe and consensual, but finally admitted he had broken “more than one pen writing this wild baby!”

Thompson added one document in his defence- DINER DHARMA- and asked that accusers read it carefully. The back cover reads: "Monk saw a sign. It was that sign that brought a Buddhist monk off the roads of West Texas to the Attaboy Diner. Not only the sign but the secrets he keeps. The locals soon give him another mystery to solve: the not-so-great train robbery. From chicken round ups to rodeos our bare-backed, backwards-riding Monk is called on time and time again to tell a story. He tells about Issa the Mason who Wouldn’t Be King, about the Death of the Phoenix. He tells these stories to a crazy cast of characters including townies like Isabella, the Queen of the Proverb, and to passers-thru like Bubba the mystical trucker…Come on in and sit a spell! Pull up a booth and settle in. Let Monk tell you a story!"

A. D. THOMPSON is professor of English at Thammasat University in Thailand where he is working on his next book about the Falcon of Siam. DINER DHARMA can be ordered through most local booksellers, Amazon, Borders, Barnes and Noble, or at http://www.lulu.com/content/1237146

Press release provided by the writer's website.

A quick one

It's amazing what a post with 4 pictures of fancy cars can do!

Yesterday's traffic sky-rocketed to tens of unique visitors from 13 different countries.

Cars at Siam Paragon

No comment...

Links for wannabe writers

Need insider secrets and fresh markets for your manuscript? Check out Children's Book Insider, the Newsletter for Children's Writers at http://write4kids.com/aboutchi.html

Just getting started and need a friendly, step-by-step guide to becoming a children's author? Check out Career Starter, The Beginner's Guide to Writing for Children at http://write4kids.com/starter.html

Want to have an incredible amount of "How To" wisdom right at your fingertips? The Children's Writer's Big Book of How To has the solution to more than 100 of the trickiest issues faced by children's authors. From coming up with great ideas right through signing the contract, this amazing volume is packed with insight. http://write4kids.com/bigbook.html

Have you written a story but don't know what to do next? I've Written a Story, What Do I Do Now? tells you what you need to know about submitting your manuscript to publishers efficiently and professionally. http://write4kids.com/nowwhat.html

Tired of getting rejection letters? Improving The Odds reveals the manuscript-revision secrets of top authors that help push them over the top. http://write4kids.com/odds.html

Looking to self-publish a picture book? Could You, Should You Self-Publish a Children's Picture Book? is the perfect step-by-step guide for anyone who's considering the self-publishing route. Don't spend a dime of your precious funds before reading what Anne Emerick has to say! http://write4kids.com/could.html

Need to know how to write a killer query or cover letter that gets noticed? Author to Editor collects actual letters used by top authors that resulted in publishing contracts. Full analysis and lots of easy-to-apply tips help make writing the perfect query or cover letter a breeze. http://write4kids.com/a2e.html

Having trouble developing a plot? Crafting strong characters? Coming up with good story ideas? Our In-Depth Workshop Series goes in-depth to make you a stronger and more confident writer. http://write4kids.com/indepth.html

Care to hear -- first-hand -- the best advice superstar authors have to give for aspiring children's writers? In Their Own Words offers exclusive insight from Lois Lowry, Judy Blume, R.L. Stine, Chris Crutcher and many, many more. This is pure gold and available nowhere else. http://write4kids.com/itow.html

Source: Children's Writing Newsletter

Bkk Writers' Workshop

All wordsmiths are welcome! If you have written a book, are writing, want to write, should have written, might write, and feel you might have at least one book waiting to burst out, then join Bangkok Writer's Club. Maybe you'll get your WordsWorth here!

The Club was founded on July 7, 2007 by C Y Gopinath, a person who likes to write, ask questions, and enjoy words and people. Gopi is a one-time author, and well into his first work of fiction. He formed the Writers' Club because he thinks "It's useful to sit down with others who value writing the same way [I do]..."

Although there are 15 members from different walks of life and of many different nationalities, they all have one thing in common: love of writing. They are a bunch of lively people with lively intellects and words on their minds.

The first meeting of the year will be Friday, February 1 at 6:30 pm. The meeting will be held at Bitter Brown on Sukhumvit 21, Asoke Court.

If you're interested in writing, authoring, publishing --- fiction, essays, poetry, short stories, then join them here!

Source: Writers' Workshop on Meetup.com.

P.S.: This is the 100th post. You can also read Teacher in Thailand's 100 post here.

Mai phet khap!

Yesterday I remembered why I eat every day at the same restaurants! The cooks at the 2-3 street restaurants that I go to know how I like my food. That is, not spicy!

I’ve been in Thailand since 2002 (with a 10 months stint in the Middle East) and I still can’t understand why is it so difficult for Thai cooks to cook the food the way the customer likes it. If I tell the cook (in Thai, of course) that I don’t want any chilies at all in my soup, then why do they still add a “small chilly” in my tom yam soup? I tell you why, because they don’t think. They take the order, and second later all they remember is the name of the dish and not the customer’s preferences. And when you tell them that you said “No garlic and no onion in my fried rice”, they say that it’s not much, so it won’t kill me. Helloooo, are you listening? No, they aren’t.

So, yesterday evening me and my wife wanted some yam mun sen (glass noodles). We went to our regulars, but they didn’t have all the necessary ingredients, so we decided to try a new street restaurant that opened recently in front of the Movie Corner on our soi. My wife ordered (in Thai) yam mun sen a little bit sour and with half a chilly for herself, and yam mun sen mama (with the mama noodles instead of the glass noodles) without any spices AT ALL.

The restaurant seemed pretty decent, clean, with many people around the cooking area. So our order came pretty fast, but what a surprise when we realized that my noodles were spicy as hell and her dish was not spicy at all! I struggled to finish my plate (as I always do, no matter how bad the food is!) but my wife decided to protest and ate only the shrimps.

The two dishes were the perfect way to waste 70 baht. On our way home we stopped at one of our regulars and had another course.

Thai cooks, PLEASE listen when your dear customers place an order! Don’t just assume that everybody in this country is SAME SAME!

Thai novels

Would yo like to read some that literature? If yes, then choose some of these:

- The circus of life, Arkartdamkeung Rapheephat, 1929
- An elephant named Maliwan, Thanorm Maha-paoraya, 1943
- Wanlaya’s love, Seinee Saowaphong, 1952
- Ghosts, Seinee Saowaphong, 1953
- The field of the great, Marlai Choophinit, 1954
- The story of Jan Darra, Utsana Phleungtham, 1966
- The judgment, Chart Korbjitti, 1981
- Snakes, Wimon Sainimnuan, 1984
- Of time and tide, Atsiri Thammachoat, 1985
- Time in a bottle, Praphatsorn Seiwikun, 1985
- Mad dogs & Co, Chart Korbjitti, 1988
- The path of the tiger, Sila Komchai, 1989
- Time, Chart Korbjitti, 1993
- the twenty best novels of thailand, an anthology, Marcel Barang, 1994

They were translated from Thai (both in English and French) by Marcel Barang, and made available for the public on Thai Ficition.

Returned to sender

My Christmas present for Gor has been returned twice already! The first time when I got it back I opened the parcel, checked all the books for staples or any stray paper pins. But they were all clean! Then I examined the parcel and found out that one corner was stapled, so I removed the staples and send it back to Gor.

A few days ago the parcel was returned for the second time! I'll give it another search and if still there's no metal or anything "dangerous" inside I'll send it via another address.

So, Gor, hang on, your Christmas present is coming... a bit late.

What happened?

Why was http://thailocal.blogspot.com/ removed from the blogger server yesterday?

I wonder what could have happened. Anyway, the blog is back online with a very strange post dating December 29, 2008.

Get a free calendar

Asia Books offers a free calendar for 2008 for every 1,500 baht spent.


More info at Asia Books.

Who’s Reading What

Bangkok has book groups in abundance—here are some of them, along with titles they’re reading this month:

The American Women’s Club (AWC) Book Group meets monthly, usually in the afternoon. The location rotates among homes of members. Next meeting: January 24. Open to AWC members only. This month’s book: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.

The British Women’s Group (BWG) Bangkok Book Club holds morning meetings the first Tuesday of each month. The location rotates among homes of members. Open to BWG members only. Reviews of books read by the group are available online at http://www.bwgbangkok.com/bookclub.htm. This month’s book: free choice. Members could bring any book they’ve enjoyed over Christmas.

Fiddleheads, the book club of Club Canada, meets monthly. Next meeting: January 31 . For more information, contact: http://us.f335.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=kathleencarden@hotmail.com. This month’s book: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.

The International Book Club meets the last Wednesday of each month at 7:30 pm at the Books@53 bookstore on Sukhumvit Soi 53. Next meeting: January 30. Membership is open to all. Contact Terri at t_jezeph@hotmail.com for more information. This month’s book:. Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein.

The International Women’s Club (IWC) Book Group meets monthly. The location rotates among homes of members or the IWC Clubhouse. Next meeting: January 29. For more information, contact Margaret at patrickg40@hotmail.com. This month’s book: The Painted Veil by Somerset Maugham.

Source: Erin's newsletter

First Bkk bookcrossing in 2008

The next Bangkok Bookcrossers meeting will take place this Tuesday, January 8 at 6:30 pm at Bert's, located on the ground floor of Zen department store in Central World.

To get to Central World, take the skytrain to the Chitlom station, then follow the signs to the skywalk leading right into Central World. If you are entering Zen from inside Central World, Bert's is on your immediate left, in the cosmetics section.

Some of the books that will be passed on include: One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson, Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, Next by Michael Crichton, The Woods by Harlan Coben, Passages by Connie Willis, Apex Hides the Hurt by Colson Whitehead, Spook by Mary Roach and many more.

Hope to see you all on Tuesday for the first bookcrossing meeting of 2008! Happy New Year!

Source: Erin's newsletter

New link exchanges

Doing a search on Technorati I found out that Ballots, Balls and Bikes, a blog about "Ramblings and rantings on politics, football and bikes" listed me in its Thailand Blogroll. So, I returned the favour. Visit the new addition here: ballotsballsandbikes.wordpress.com.

A Filipino blog Mga Hiwaga Ng Kasaysayan, written by an old colleague of mine from Bangkok, also listed me in his blogroll.

Jotman, a blog that "Spots local trends and bold ideas," listed this site in his Asian sources blogroll. So did I in my Link exchange.

Stories from Thailand on the net:

The post New Bangkok Books was also published on Boink Blogs; and Bkk Used Books Sale was published here too.

The post Quotes about Asia (1) was also published on welcome to 800name.

This site was mentioned for the Thinker Blogger Award on Dee's Impossible not to blog.

We are now in the Giant List of Bangkok Resources put together by Moving To Bangkok.

Picture from Ratchaburi's floating market (provided by us) can be viewed on jeanbica's blog.

My Blog Magmai talks about my Back to Hell.

Anyone else interested?

Teacher in Thailand received similar interest!