Saturday, September 30, 2006: Going For The One

I am feeling somewhat better. I was out and about once again today. Things with in the new apartment are slowly taking shape and the future music room is coming closer to being operational. Another trip to the MBK furniture floor is in order but it will have to wait another week or two.

I did my rounds today starting with the Music Society shop in Coco-Walk. They seem to get a far bit of good used gear but I am on a tight budget due to the move and buying plane tickets. I don’t really need more gear anyways. What I need is more time to use the gear I have. That and a keyboard rack.

I did buy a CD today though. I picked up Yes’ 1977 album “Going for the One”. It has several tracks that I like and know from the live DVDs I have so I wanted to have the originals in their entire prog-rock splendor. I think the main reason I never bought this album back when I was first discovering Yes was the cover, which features a buck naked guy looking at a bunch of buildings. The idea of having to try and explain why I had a record with a naked man on the front to my Dad was more than I could handle at 18. Now that my Father has been gone since 1990 it should be safe to have in my collection.

I got back to the new apartment at around 5:00 pm and Sandy was here. I had expected her to make a trip to see her family but she claimed to be feeling very lazy today. I had bought some popcorn so we’ll be settling in for a movie tonight.

Friday, September 29, 2006: Big Rain a Coming

The big concern in Bangkok right now is a typhoon that is coming in from the west. We are far enough inland that the winds will be gone, but the fears are of flooding as we’ve had a lot of rain and the rivers and khlongs are already at a high point. The boat service on the khlongs has been discontinued due to the water being too high for the boats to be able to pass safely under the various bridges.

The Thais are not very impressed with the American reaction to the Coup. The general view seems to be that it’s somewhat hypocritical that the Americans can use their military to remove a dictator from another country but it’s not okay for the Thai military to remove a dictator from their own country. With all the calls to “restore democracy” it makes me wonder if anyone outside of Thailand is even aware of what has been happening here for the last three years. Getting rid of Thaskin was the first step in restoring democracy in this country.

Thursday, September 28, 2006: Sickly

I have been ill.

Monday, September 25, 2006: Stupid Guitar Part 3

Behold! The AXE of Rock!

But seriously.... on what day other than Halloween could anyone use this thing?

Sunday, September 24, 2006: Funiture Shopping

Sandy made salmon with mixed vegetables and steamed rice for brunch today with was outstanding. One advantage of this new place is the kitchen facilities. I think we’ve ordered in once since we’ve been here. Normally Sunday morning is a debate about where to eat but now it’s all very easy.

Sandy and I spent the afternoon at MBK shopping for additional furniture to fill up our new apartment with. Specifically needed were a large bookcase and a night table for next to our bed. We also wanted two small chairs or stools for the kitchen. In the end we did find all we needed as well as some more kitchen utensils. The furniture will be delivered on Tuesday.

I was starting to lose power after marching around MBK and looking at furniture and house ware so once the furniture was all picked and paid for we went up to the MK Restaurant and had dinner. It was much needed as I was fading fast.

After we had finished eating we walked over to Siam Discovery to meet Pooh and on the way watched people take pictures of and have their pictures taken with the soldiers stationed by the intersection. There was almost a festive feeling to it.

Eventually Sandy and I went down and had our photos taken with them as did various Thai families and tourists. None of the soldiers had magazines in their rifles.

Sandy met Pooh at the Bodyshop in the Siam Center and I waited for them at Starbucks. After we’d been there for about an hour we walked back to the new apartment. Pooh came with us but didn’t stay very long.

Friday, September 22, 2006: No Magazines (in the rifles)

I went to Curahee this morning and the soldiers were still out but in fewer numbers. They also had their rifles slung and no magazines were inserted. Later when I went over the MBK walk way the spot that is usually occupied by the litter police and was home to many soldiers on Wednesday was now held by one singular policeman.

There was some rather pathetic protest by about 50 university students at Siam Paragon. They were protesting both the Coup and Thaskin and were lead by this Political Science Professor. The amazing thing is that all of the massive 10,000 plus anti-Thaskin demonstrations that have gone on since February have received zero international news coverage but these people who were outnumbered by the press made headline news around the world.

In related Coup news the Military has taken control of what would be the forest rangers in any other country and disarmed them. It would seem that Thaskin was planning to use them to disperse a large anti-Thaksin rally that was planned for September 20th. He’d already been using hired goons to beat up anti-Thaskin demonstrators.

Wednesday, September 20, 2006: All Quiet

8:00 AM The BTS is operating, there isn't as much traffic but there are cars and buses on the streets. Apparently all the banks except for the Thai Farmers Bank are closed as are (obviously) government offices. I wonder if the Thai Military Bank is open... Last night people were buying flowers to give the soldiers who'd taken over Thaskin's office.

No traffic! Photo by Sandy

The reason all the Thai TV channels were shut down was that Thaskin OWNS them all. This is one reason he is still popular in the rural areas, they don't have any news of what he's up to. There is a "announcement" due at 9:00 AM, which I think may be from the Palace.

The Baht hasn't fallen much. Yesterday the rate was 37.41 and today its 37.90. Not much of a drop. The Thaskin TV Channels are still off the air but the others are back. Apparently Thaskin had planned to make some announcement asking supporters to come to Bangkok to stop the Coup.

9:00 AM. Some guy is talking. I assume he's a big Judge and one of the fellows who reviewed the screwed up election Thaskin called back in the spring. The results of which were nullified due to various things Thaskins' gang had pulled off.

By the way NONE of this has to do with the violence in the South. This is all about Thaskin refusing to step down after numerous scandals and the screwed up election and this bogus "attempt" on his life that he was using to get rid of anyone he felt was in his way. He has also disrespected the King at various functions and many of his hangers on are very anti-Monarchy. That sort of thing doesn't go un-noticed

9:15 Apparently Koffi Annan has made some statement about the situation. Sandy's reaction was typically Thai. This is seen as a "family" matter. Mr. Annan's opinions are not wanted. Sandy remarked "What does he know about it, he doesn't live here..."

9:30 AM Small red ants are attempting a Coup by the sink. We have stepped in with bug spray. How ants got up 27 floors to our kitchen is unexplained.

9:40 AM Sandy is clapping. I guess Thaskin is going to have to work selling peanuts now. Apparently the Army is going to be meeting with the King today. Pehaps they'll ask for new Tanks.

Now they're playing some speach being given by the Big General while the other Military and Police bosses are standing by in front of very large pictures of the King and Queen.

10:00 AM Well I am going to venture out. I am not sure what will be open but I'll report back later.

5:26 PM It was pretty dead this morning. It didn't really seem all that different than it would be on a big holiday. The BTS had just a few people on it and they all looked like they'd been up all night watching TV. Everything seemed really normal until I got off the BTS and came down the steps to discover soldiers posted on the corners of all the major intersections.

I walked over to Curahee and there was absolutely no one there in the gym except the staff. I was coming in at a time well after I usually leave which was also odd. When I headed out again I walked back over to Asok and most of the soldiers were sitting discretely behind the traffic police booth that sits on the south west corner.

I took the BTS over to MBK as I wanted some MK for lunch and I also wanted to buy some groceries. There is a spot on the walkway that leads to the National Stadium BTS station and links MBK with Siam Discover that is usually occupied by few "Garbage Police", cops who are only authorized to issue tickets for littering and loitering, was instead manned by soldiers. These fellows seemed more hardcore than the grunts at Asok and were armed with HK rifles instead of M-16s. I asked one fellow if I could take his photo and he said "okay".

Going into MBK the security searched my bag. This was a first. I was searched at Emporium yesterday morning which was also the first time since APEC in 2003. The staff were so polite though it was funny. They also did a much better search than I'd ever seen in the Philippines. In Manila they'd search bags for bombs by poking around the inside of the bag blindy with a little stick.

Think about that.

I had my MK lunch and then wandered MBK. It was still mildly crowded. I hit the grocery store and then walked back over to the Siam Center via the walkway and Siam Discovery. When I came out I noticed that the soldiers had all removed the magazines from their rifles and were much more relaxed some even posing with tourists.

I took the BTS back over towards the New Apartment and walked back here. Most of the usual food venders were out including the watermellon lady but there was nobody around really. Just the regular stray dogs.

Sleeping Puppy unconcerned by Coup

6:00 PM A BIG rain is rolling in. Welcome to monsoon season. I'd take a picture but my battery is dead.

8:00 PM Here's a contrast. The talking heads on Channel Asia news are flapping around about the terror of the coup while "experts" (lived here briefly in 2002 and still has a hang over from Soi Cowboy) are speculating on things they know not of. The internation news shows scary videos of menacing tanks and armed soldiers. Thai TV is playing the same old annoying soap operas and the Thai news is showlng video of people bringing the soldiers bags of oranges or wrapping yellow ribbons around their rifles. There's a song in that.... "Thai a Yellow Ribbon around your M-16" (That was for Big Bruce, I can hear the groan from here)

There is always the fear of some kind of kick off but how is that any different that before the Coup? There is certainly no way the Jihad loonies are going to get a bomb anywhere today. As for it becoming a "dictatorship"... IT ALREADY WAS! That's why Thaskin was so hated in Bangkok. All his meddlesome little laws and hassling of the press and never wanting to give up his post no matter what sort of dirt was dug up about his double dealings.

Now he's flown to London and his wife is hiding in Singapore.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006: Army Takes Control

This is what is going on as of 11:41 pm.

Prime Minister Thaskin who is in New York has declared a state of emergency and fired the head of the Army. The Army has taken control of Bangkok and surrounded the government house, all the TV and Radio channels are down and showing some message about respecting the King and I am not sure how long it will be before the internet is gone too.

There is no immediant danger except that nobody knows who is in charge. Asia news is reporting that the Army has siezed the Prime Ministers office but whether they did that for him or not is a question no one can answer.

It looks like a coup and would be the first in 15 years. There is always also the chance that the His Royal Highness the King has had about enough of Thaskin.

I'll update as I can. Sandy is just back (with a subway sandwich for me too) and is highly concerned.

BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- Members of Thailand's military are attempting to seize power in Bangkok but the Thai leadership expects everything to return to normal soon, Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai told CNN.

The government has maintained control of the capital and the surrounding areas, according a statement on Thailand's state-controled Army television.

Midnight. The rumour is that Thaskins Defense Minister has been arrested and that the Military take over is "temporary".

12:27 Bonhomme says his CNN and BCC feeds have just been cut... but we still get both Bloomberg and Channel Asia news.

12:45 AM The fish seem unconcerned, the BTS is still running, and there are lots of cars out on the streets. We're pretty far from the government buildings and such though.

The Military has just ordered all troops to report to duty and ordered no "unauthorized movement".

Rumour has it the King has just appointed a new "acting" Prime Minister, someone from the Judicuary. If this is true that would mean Thaskin is out of a job.

Fish Unconcerned By Possible Coup

12:58 AM Thai soilders are wearing yellow ribbons on their uniforms and on their tanks to indicate their "devotion" to the King. This in my mind confirms that Thaskin has been fired.

Looking at the the tanks the Army has around the Government house they should ask for some new ones.

The fish continue to be unconcerned but demand more fish food.

1:15 AM Well this is way past my bed time. I think I'll be signing off until tomorrow morning. I have no idea if going out will be allowed or what the situation will be.

1:26 AM There's an awful lot of traffic for a city that's under "martial law".

1:36 AM Thai TV has switched from the sign which might say "Sorry NO TV while Coup is in Process" to video of the King doing stuff. Well at least we know who's in charge. And I have no worries if the King is in charge. He's a very benign fellow who cares about the people a lot. And the Thai people LOVE him like he's their Grand Father. So this should work out okay.

Sandy is asleep. I am fading. More tomorrow folks.

Monday, September 18, 2006: Thumbs Up!

I have no idea who exactly this strange fellow is giving a big thumbs up to the tiny Chinese made crapatronic stereo radio cassette player... But who ever he is he certainly has an excellent shirt. It is possible that he is actually someone famous in China. Or maybe not. In any event I just had to share this with you all.

Sunday, September 17, 2006: Shermanating On a Sunday Afternoon

Sandy brought her Nephew Pet back from her family’s for a sleep over last night. They got back at around 10:00 pm and I was already asleep. But not for long. Once I was up I was given the strange duty of making Pet an omelet, some thing I haven’t done since probably 1991. The results by my Peter Treen Omelet perfection standards were in keeping with not having made one in so many years. I was also frustrated by our lack of a proper flat fry pan opposed to the wok-like fry bowl we have. In any event Pet loved the omelet which he ate on top of a plate of rice after smothering it in soy sauce.

We stayed up until midnight watching Matrix: Revolutions in Thai. What an unfortunate movie. I still have a big problem with the notion of machines taking over the world. They certainly won’t do it using Windows as an operating system. Neo could crash the whole Matrix just by adding a new printer to the equation.

Pet was up with the dawn and I let Sandy deal with him and make sure he didn’t fall off the balcony or something. I was up at around 10:00 am to find he’d managed to unearth my old Playstation from the confusion of the future music room and he was happily blasting away on it.

I was put on cooking detail again only this time I was required to do up some bacon. The fry bowl proved to be equally frustrating to cook bacon in as it had been to do the omelet on. I was less concerned however as I knew he’d just put soy sauce over it in the end. Sandy made him a fried egg however her decision to put black pepper on it didn’t work out well as Pet insisted that it had “cockroach pooh” on it. I don’t think I’ll ever see black pepper the same way again.

Speaking of Pooh, she came over at around noon and then she and Sandy took Pet back to his house. I didn’t join them as I had other plans.

Originally I’d planned to sort of the confusion that is in the future music room however as I moved some things I around I opted to just bring the necessary machines to the kitchen nook table and set them up. I spent the rest of the day recording. The AN200 was finally introduced to Sherman Filter Bank and they got along famously of course. I had intending on getting rid of a failed idea that featured the Bass Station driving the AN200 with their sounds combined into a sonic mush-fest however I ended up sprucing the track up with some Shermenated AN200 loops and a nice juicy swamp pad from the MicroKorg.

During the course of the afternoon this big dark bank of clouds rolled in and it was amazing to watch this wall of rain roll across the city from the west. I had to scramble to bring the drying clothes in off of the balcony as it approached.

The rain only lasted half an hour during which visibility was reduced to zero. Once it had rolled through the sky cleared and the sun came out to set.

I took a break to feed myself at around 7:00 pm. I made some pasta which I haven’t done since Prague in 2002 and listened to an old cassette of “Tweed Fetish”, the band Chris C used to play Chapman Stick in ten years ago or more.

After I’d eaten I finished my tracking with the application of bass and some Ebo guitar. Then came the task of cleaning up all the gear and packing it away nicely. Sandy got in at around 9:30 pm.

Saturday, September 16, 2006: Religion of Peace Strikes Again

Canadian killed in Thai department store bombings

Government officials blamed the violence on separatist insurgents in the Muslim-dominated south, who have launched several attacks since 2004 that have killed about 1,700 people -- most of them civilians.

And how much news coverage has CTV given to the other 1,700 dead? Not much, none of them were Canadians.

Monday, September 11, 2006: Broadband Ahoy

I only managed to run 4 kms this morning. The rest of the gym experience was good though. Afterwards I went to the Dubliner where I was disappointed by unsatisfactory service, a bad tasting sausage and a truly awful sound track. The food was good but they seem to have changed the type of sausage they serve and the new brand is substandard compared to the old.

As for the music. Dan Hill’s “Sometimes when we touch” has to be the worst song ever written in the history of popular music. That was the beginning of a track list complete with every signal song I hate from the last three decades. They even had Kenny G.

Sandy and I both went through more Broadband call center frustrations. I managed to find the number for their offices and dialed that and eventually got through to a real person. I put Sandy on to deal with it in Thai and now we finally have internet.

Huzzah.

Sunday, September 10, 2006: The Lamb Lies Down

I woke with a fever today. Sandy was to go off with her family to the Temple and wasn’t sure if she should leave me alone but I assured her I’d be fine. Once she’d gone I promptly fell back to sleep and snoozed through until noon.

I felt much better once I was up and I eventually headed over to Siam Paragon for lunch and some wandering. I have been trying to save money as this month has been brutally expensive so there were no major purchases.

I did pick up “The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway” which I discovered in the good CD shop. This was the last Genesis album that Peter Gabriel sang on before going off on his own. For me the album brings back memories of September 1984 when I first moved back to Toronto, which is of course ten years after the album was actually released. I listened to it through when I got back to the new apartment.

Saturday, September 9, 2006: Mattress Ahoy

The new mattress arrived today at 10:00 and was put into position by the helpful Home Pro delivery staff. Now we will no longer have to sleep on the world’s most uncomfortable fold out bed. According to my back this has come none too soon.

Sandy and I did some more home making tasks and I did the many windows (inside only). Who ever lived here before was less than attentive in regards to cleaning those hard to reach places.

Over all though today I didn’t really do anything. And it was great.

The internet connection still doesn't work and the call center still shuffles us on into a phone limbo.

Friday, September 8, 2006: No Broadband

Oh imagine my shock when the Broadband didn’t work today. Now begins the epic struggle to actually get a life person on the providers support line/call center. The definition of call center in this case being the place the calls they can’t be bothered to take get sent too. If you push “2” for English service you are sent there even more directly.

Sandy went to Yoga tonight, which is the first time this week. I haven’t been to the gym all week, something I’ll regret on Monday.

Thursday, September 7, 2006: Broadband

Sandy signed us up for broadband today. We paid the fee and were given the box of attachments and so forth to connect to the information super traffic jam. It is supposed to be active tomorrow but I know all too well how these things play out here.

Wednesday, September 6, 2006: Radio Free Bangkok

Tonight I went for my first swim in the pool. The water was a bit cool but then it is rainy season and it was night so it was to be expected. I have forgotten what a joy it is to be able to just come home and go for a swim. This was one of the great things about the Evergreen Apartments.

I have discovered one disadvantage of living so high up. My “thin amp” picks up every radio station in Bangkok.

Tuesday, September 5, 2006: Sorting It Out

Sandy and Julian went to Home Pro and bought a new mattress. Unfortunately it won’t be delivered until the weekend. This means we will have to continue sleeping on the world’s most uncomfortable fold out bed until Saturday.

Things are still largely in disarray. The bed room can’t really be sorted out until the arrival of the mattress and most of what we have still occupies the future music room. The kitchen is slowly takes shape but since the building is being repainted at this point we can’t put our laundry drying rack out on the balcony until the 15th of the month. For now it hangs either in the bedroom or beside the entrance. However all the clutter will be sorted out with time and after three and a half years in the Redoubt we can manage until things are in place.

Monday, September 4, 2006: Moved In

Today the Land Lords removed all the things we didn’t want cluttering up the place. As we have our own stuff to do that with. The items removed were the old mattress which can be best described as something “Khum Bah” would sleep on as well as a very ugly rug and strange little TV with a VHS player built into the bottom of it, an old microwave and some ugly chairs.

Later Pooh and “Over” came by to assist in the moving of the Fish tank. I don’t think moving it was a much of an effort as the actually emptying of it and the later refilling of it was. The Fish were pretty docile at first after being transferred back in but were soon back to their usual enthusiastic swimming around and peering out at what ever lights and reflections they can see. I suppose since fish apparently have a memory of about 10 seconds they will feel as if they’ve always been here.

Sunday, September 3, 2006: Moving On Up

No sleeping in today. The noise began as usual and Sandy’s family began to show up at around 9:00 am. It was like having Thing One and Thing Two descend on the Redoubt as they started just packing up everything with little or no regard to whether or not we actually wanted to move it. Pet came along with his parents but his duty was mostly to keep Pluk from getting into anything sharp or dangerous. Sandy’s sister Ree who owns the Watch Shop had brought their truck so we would carry down items then walk them down the road to the parking lot and put them in the truck. Once the truck was full it would drive to the new apartment and unload.

I think the worst item was the computer desk. It wasn’t that it was so heavy but it was really awkward to carry. I took it down with a friend of the family, a strange little fellow named Ah, who I called “Over” as he had the word OVER in large white block letters on the back of his t-shirt. His being half my height made carrying the desk a real adventure. Other items of note were the washing machine and several large plastic storage containers full of DVDs and VCDs. Four years worth of viewing. There was also a giant box full of CDs which always threatened to come apart during transport but never did.

It’s all a blur now. The weather was good. We had plenty of people to help so really it was an easy move. The only problem was I wanted to vomit the entire time. By 3:00 pm we had most of the stuff over to the new place so there was a big feed and I bought a variety of beverages from the mini-mart down in the front of our new building. Pet’s Dad and Ree’s husband wasted no time setting up the TV and the DVD player, then rummaging through the movie bins in search of something to watch. Thai’s really love Mr. Bean.

After the lunch break there was one last effort to move what smaller stuff remained and by nightfall the only thing left in the Redoubt besides a few odds and ends was the fish tank and the fish. I went over one last time at around 9:00 pm to feed them, and then brought back the remainder of my things and that was that. Sandy and I are both exhausted from it all.

Saturday, September 2, 2006: Moving Begins

What ever Sandy had was not food poisoning. I know this for certain because now I have it.

The Lords of Chaos began their festivities at 7:00 am today and I was ill enough that I managed to sleep through it until noon. Sandy’s sister Pooh came over and they went to the new apartment and began the pre-move cleaning and organization as well as a little painting.

This afternoon I started taking over some things to the new place and stored them in the once and future music room. I believe all items will end up there until things are organized. The big stuff gets moved tomorrow though.

Friday, September 1, 2006: New Favorite Site

Since the links page is sort of dead I will post this up here. I have found a great little blog that might not interest anyone but me... But I will post it up anyways.

MATRIXSYNTH "everything synth"... Nice photos and such. I really like post with the linked video of the Moog Little Phatty boot up...

Sandy is better today by the way. I doubt she'll be doing Yoga tonight though.