Trying to think of something to write a blog about. I could go all artsy, and write about emotions and stuff, but would anyone be interested (would I be interested?), so I thought I would write about my home town of Perth.
After spending time away it is possible to notice changes, and I now notice large changes in the city as compared to four decades ago, and I don't mean just as a city, getting bigger and hi-tech, I mean the people. It has become less friendly, busier, and more divided. When I was a kid, things were casual, now everyone is working hard just to hang on to what they got, and there are a growing number of people who did not manage to hold on.
Sad to say, but true. Amidst the restaurants, the Star$s, and the expensive homes, there is a significant and growing number of poor people. People who have missed out on the much publicised economic boom of Western Australia (the mining industry). These folk are almost invisible, not mentioned in the game show media, and rarely referred to in public discussion.
I dislike this growing social divide. It is bad for people (even the ones on the 'winning' side), and bad for society. A depressing conclusion. Anyway, I will leave you, my faithful readers with a few photos of this great city.
After spending time away it is possible to notice changes, and I now notice large changes in the city as compared to four decades ago, and I don't mean just as a city, getting bigger and hi-tech, I mean the people. It has become less friendly, busier, and more divided. When I was a kid, things were casual, now everyone is working hard just to hang on to what they got, and there are a growing number of people who did not manage to hold on.
Sad to say, but true. Amidst the restaurants, the Star$s, and the expensive homes, there is a significant and growing number of poor people. People who have missed out on the much publicised economic boom of Western Australia (the mining industry). These folk are almost invisible, not mentioned in the game show media, and rarely referred to in public discussion.
I dislike this growing social divide. It is bad for people (even the ones on the 'winning' side), and bad for society. A depressing conclusion. Anyway, I will leave you, my faithful readers with a few photos of this great city.
Back in the city of Perth, my home town after 2 years away. Feels strange, both same and different. I feel disconnected. Living with my bro for a few days, until I get settled.
Gee, must be doing something right. Got several new sg friends in the past week, plus nine, count them nine, posts on my previous blog!
Anyway, still in Thailand, though returning to Australia soon for xmas. Here are a few more pics of xmas cheer in the land of Buddha. I did not realise just how prevalent xmas was. People swap presents, do stuff, eat & drink, all for a fourth century xianian saint. Go figure, plus of course, commerce. Anyway, here in Thailand are all the trappings of xmas to be found.
A few more pics.
An angel, selling stuff, in Thailand
Best wishes for the new year.
A tree and flying things.
Two pretty girls and a promo for cars.
Some pretty girls ready to do a song and dance routine.
More pretty girls, practising their routine.
Mc Santa
Ready to talk to you!
A bus parked in front of my hotel, blasting out loud music, and in homage to Iron Man, Tony Stark. Lomo effect.
Non-lomo bus.
Iron Man
Anyway, still in Thailand, though returning to Australia soon for xmas. Here are a few more pics of xmas cheer in the land of Buddha. I did not realise just how prevalent xmas was. People swap presents, do stuff, eat & drink, all for a fourth century xianian saint. Go figure, plus of course, commerce. Anyway, here in Thailand are all the trappings of xmas to be found.
A few more pics.
An angel, selling stuff, in Thailand
Best wishes for the new year.
A tree and flying things.
Two pretty girls and a promo for cars.
Some pretty girls ready to do a song and dance routine.
More pretty girls, practising their routine.
Mc Santa
Ready to talk to you!
A bus parked in front of my hotel, blasting out loud music, and in homage to Iron Man, Tony Stark. Lomo effect.
Non-lomo bus.
Iron Man
A few lomo photos from my hotel.
I am staying in the "100 Island Resort" hotel in Surat Thani city, in southern Thailand. A pleasant place, relax, buffet breakfast, pool, explore. So, I took a few snaps with my "lomo" effect iphone app, and here they are:
Lobby
Photos from the fish pond:
Swimming pool--cool looking.
Handsome man:
I am staying in the "100 Island Resort" hotel in Surat Thani city, in southern Thailand. A pleasant place, relax, buffet breakfast, pool, explore. So, I took a few snaps with my "lomo" effect iphone app, and here they are:
Lobby
Photos from the fish pond:
Swimming pool--cool looking.
Handsome man:
Feeling the years creep up. Feeling introspective. Just finished reading a short book by a US Marine General, Smedley Butler. After a life time of killing people around the world, he realised that the purpose of war was money. To bad the lesson was not learnt. And, me, the rest of my life, what to do? haha
Nothing much to say. Still hanging in southern Thailand, waiting to return to Australia for xmas. Surprisingly, for those not in the know, the Thais celebrate xmas. In fact they celebrate everything. Thai national holiday, Buddhist holidays, Valentine's Day, xmas, easter. I have not noticed Jewish holidays yet, but wait a few years.
A few pics from a nearby shopping mall. People are the same the world over. Thai malls are packed with teenagers hanging out, older folk shopping for cool gear, and parents shopping for their families. The weekend, doubly crowded.
The Surat Thani "Central Plaza" mall. The classy mall in Thailand.
Entrance—already decked out with xmas stuff
Not sure why, but it is candy that is the xmas theme this year.
Thai Santa
Pretty girls selling cars — a universal combination
The big tree, no sign of Santa yet. But everything else is there.
A xmas sign and welcome to 2013
Another universal—people photographing each other. Parents - children, girls each other, etc.
A pretty Starbucks girl with either devil ears, antlers, or some type of xmas thing.
Sometimes the Thais do not always get Santa correctly.
Looking down from the top (3rd) floor. Shopping, shopping, shopping—what would we do without it?
Cinema on the very top floor (4). A mix of western and Thai movies.
Capitalism
Movies ! The Hobbit.
iphone iphones
girls want to be sexy-- not a bad thing
A few pics from a nearby shopping mall. People are the same the world over. Thai malls are packed with teenagers hanging out, older folk shopping for cool gear, and parents shopping for their families. The weekend, doubly crowded.
The Surat Thani "Central Plaza" mall. The classy mall in Thailand.
Entrance—already decked out with xmas stuff
Not sure why, but it is candy that is the xmas theme this year.
Thai Santa
Pretty girls selling cars — a universal combination
The big tree, no sign of Santa yet. But everything else is there.
A xmas sign and welcome to 2013
Another universal—people photographing each other. Parents - children, girls each other, etc.
A pretty Starbucks girl with either devil ears, antlers, or some type of xmas thing.
Sometimes the Thais do not always get Santa correctly.
Looking down from the top (3rd) floor. Shopping, shopping, shopping—what would we do without it?
Cinema on the very top floor (4). A mix of western and Thai movies.
Capitalism
Movies ! The Hobbit.
iphone iphones
girls want to be sexy-- not a bad thing
A weekend on Lanta Island in southern Thailand.
Koh Lanta ("Lun-TAR") is a small island in southern Thailand, in tkhe province of Krabi. It is a really cool place. Hordes of young folk head here for a few days or weeks to frolic in the ocean, enjoy the cheap and tasty local and international fare, and generally chill out. The environment is cool and fresh, thanks to the ocean, and the mood is relaxed and happy. You can get here by plane, bus or partly by train from Bangkok.
I spent 3 days here with a Thai lady friend, she is engaged to this English chap, but she invited me to come and see her. Long story. She teaches the Thai language to foreigners here on the island.
The island runs north to south. The small tourist town is on the northern tip of the island. Fun place, restaurants, tourist shops selling all manner of trinkets, bars, and lots of activity. At the southern end of the island is a small national park with trees, elephants, plants and trees, elephant rides, a cave complex. All good fun.
If you look at the tourist books, they will all tell you that Lanta is "Pang Mark!" (expensive), not necessarily. It is pricier than the mainland, but there are cheaper places. For example, I rented an aircon bungalow for 600 baht a day ($18). The trick is, live back from the beach. My place was (literally) 2 mins walk from the beach. The same bungalow on the beach is 2x the price — go figure. Arrive on the island, and they look around for the accomm that suits you.
Travel safe.
I am a mass of contradictions (which just proves that I am human). I enjoy travelling, but hate the travel process. Tomorrow I will be travelling to the island of Koh Lanta, in southern Thailand, in the province of Krabi. My reason--a girl (sigh). Will this work out? No, it never does. Anyway, have to awaken early, take a tuk tuk to the small bus station in the town, take a mini-bus to Krabi city, then find a ride to the jetty to catch a ferry to the island. Does that all sound hard? Not really, but I am not looking forward. Alternatively, I could stay where I am and enjoy a buffet breakfast and smooch around for another day 
. Slacker.
Lanta, so I am told, is a pleasant spot, though a bit pricey, as are most of the popular tourist places in Thailand. The usual range of aquatic activities, a variety of hotels and restaurants. It has a laid back atmosphere. Looking forward to seeing it. And the girl? Met her in Laos, she works in Lanta. Engaged, but we seem to hit it off when we met. Sigh.
. Slacker. Lanta, so I am told, is a pleasant spot, though a bit pricey, as are most of the popular tourist places in Thailand. The usual range of aquatic activities, a variety of hotels and restaurants. It has a laid back atmosphere. Looking forward to seeing it. And the girl? Met her in Laos, she works in Lanta. Engaged
, but we seem to hit it off when we met. Sigh.Congrats to the US citizens who voted for Obama, and at least a glimmer of sanity. We live in a world with rampant militarism, a declining and warming environment, growing poverty, and the idiots who would support someone like Romney deny all of this, and believe that the world is 6,000 years old. I am not claiming that Obama is going to solve all of our problems, or any of them, but he might in fact listen, and avoid the truly dumb things that Romney would do.
What would I like to see in the world? I would like to see corporations held accountable for their actions. I would like to see the rich who hide behind corporations held accountable for their actions. I would like to see people placed first, rather than money and profits, in the scheme and order of things. I would like to see governments, the military, and the police force all be held accountable to the people they are supposedly their to protect and serve.
I am not overly optimistic about the future. I see many of the problems becoming apparent now still ignored by those in power, who merely wish to protect their own short term interests. By the middle of this century global warming will have greatly damaged out planet, but by then it will be too late to change.
Fingers crossed.
What would I like to see in the world? I would like to see corporations held accountable for their actions. I would like to see the rich who hide behind corporations held accountable for their actions. I would like to see people placed first, rather than money and profits, in the scheme and order of things. I would like to see governments, the military, and the police force all be held accountable to the people they are supposedly their to protect and serve.
I am not overly optimistic about the future. I see many of the problems becoming apparent now still ignored by those in power, who merely wish to protect their own short term interests. By the middle of this century global warming will have greatly damaged out planet, but by then it will be too late to change.
Fingers crossed.
