There have been a few changes since I finished exams in April. First off, i passed, by the skin of my teeth. A week later, i started teaching English at KMUTT, four times a week. This was a little time-consuming, but interesting, and allowed me to earn a little extra cash... I also solidified a new direction in my research...
A year ago, and even six months ago, i had been interested in biofuels and carbon trading. The carbon trade, i am still interested in, but my focus on biofuels gradually shifted towards solar PV technologies. I still love biofuels (particularly biobutanol!). But it became evident that my basis in chemistry, as well as my love of cities, seemed to give me an edge on PV technology. Wind, hydro, and biofuels rely more heavily on turbines and combustion technologies, which rely more on the engineering side of things.
I had been looking at options in development when the opportunity to study thin-film deposition for micro/amorphous silicon solar panels came up - and i jumped at the chance. So now i'm doing a thesis, which i hope to defend by March 2011.
My mum is coming to visit in August, and i'm actually looking to move around that time - my lab is out by Thammasat...completely in the opposite direction from KMUTT...so hopefully i'll find something around Ari/Mo Chit areas...i do love my neighborhood, but it will be fun to get to know a new one...
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Catch up, Part 2: Post-Red Shirt Bangkok
By the time i got back from Germany, there was no sign of the military who had resided in my 'hood for the last 2 months. The streets were cleaned up, the barricades were gone.And it's nice that i can go out again and roam the city as i please again...
But to me, things still feel a little off. there was already a "Together, We Can" campaign going in full force - banners, ads, commercials... and lots of sales, designed to bring tourists back to thailand... which is good, because this is a beautiful country, and the business is needed. And yes, it's important to preserve Thai culture, obviously.
But the ads are kind of disturbing, really - they just push "happy happy joy joy" a little too much, and there seems to be no visible effort to help people come to terms with the situation in a constructive way...and sometimes i wonder if it occurs to Thailand maybe Thai thought should be developed/translated/preserved in the same way as the food and clothing. A direct quote from the Tourism Authority of Thailand:
"This new advertising from TAT complies about Thailand is a state of peace and love, you could get warmth together. Let's share your nice hugging shot on our wall post to show how much you love Thailand."
The ad goes to show people hugging inanimate objects ...trees, boats...it cute, i guess. I dunno, i guess it would just be nice to see ONE example of people showing how they are affected, how they experience their lives. Maybe if they had a forum in which they could speak/paint/dance/express their mind, it would inspire people find a better way to bridge their differences...
Perhaps it would be valuable to give a voice to the people who felt there was no other alternative but to take to the streets. Maybe if there were more forums for communication, the people migh be more informed and less vulnerable to the lies and propaganda.
By telling people to just keep smiling in the face of change and uncertainty, aren't you pushing them further into that desperation, which inevitably turns into violence? I mean, people were protesting for WEEKS, and if you dared to ask a Thai what they thought about it, they would look at you as if you should be ashamed - how dare you ask them to speak against their people? Thai culture instills that a good citizen is one who "agrees" and "complies" and upholds the appearance of Happy Happy.
Perhaps if people were allowed to share and analyze their emotions and behavior, they would come to new solutions for handling new social and economic issues...
I don't know, maybe it all exists somewhere, but i can't find it, though to be fair, i should mention that there are few articles in the Bangkok Post (usually in the Leisure section) that might touch upon the issues...
But my larger point here is that i just think the people would get a lot more out of learning to hug one another, not just inanimate objects... and just maybe, somebody should be doing something to encourage that...
But to me, things still feel a little off. there was already a "Together, We Can" campaign going in full force - banners, ads, commercials... and lots of sales, designed to bring tourists back to thailand... which is good, because this is a beautiful country, and the business is needed. And yes, it's important to preserve Thai culture, obviously.
But the ads are kind of disturbing, really - they just push "happy happy joy joy" a little too much, and there seems to be no visible effort to help people come to terms with the situation in a constructive way...and sometimes i wonder if it occurs to Thailand maybe Thai thought should be developed/translated/preserved in the same way as the food and clothing. A direct quote from the Tourism Authority of Thailand:
"This new advertising from TAT complies about Thailand is a state of peace and love, you could get warmth together. Let's share your nice hugging shot on our wall post to show how much you love Thailand."
The ad goes to show people hugging inanimate objects ...trees, boats...it cute, i guess. I dunno, i guess it would just be nice to see ONE example of people showing how they are affected, how they experience their lives. Maybe if they had a forum in which they could speak/paint/dance/express their mind, it would inspire people find a better way to bridge their differences...
Perhaps it would be valuable to give a voice to the people who felt there was no other alternative but to take to the streets. Maybe if there were more forums for communication, the people migh be more informed and less vulnerable to the lies and propaganda.
By telling people to just keep smiling in the face of change and uncertainty, aren't you pushing them further into that desperation, which inevitably turns into violence? I mean, people were protesting for WEEKS, and if you dared to ask a Thai what they thought about it, they would look at you as if you should be ashamed - how dare you ask them to speak against their people? Thai culture instills that a good citizen is one who "agrees" and "complies" and upholds the appearance of Happy Happy.
Perhaps if people were allowed to share and analyze their emotions and behavior, they would come to new solutions for handling new social and economic issues...
I don't know, maybe it all exists somewhere, but i can't find it, though to be fair, i should mention that there are few articles in the Bangkok Post (usually in the Leisure section) that might touch upon the issues...
But my larger point here is that i just think the people would get a lot more out of learning to hug one another, not just inanimate objects... and just maybe, somebody should be doing something to encourage that...
catching up...part 1, Red Shirts
I last left off as the Red Shirt saga was starting to get heated...things eventually really out of hand. My neighborhood became a militarized zone...Lumpini Park became home to hundreds of protesters, surrounded by a ten-foot barricade made of tires and bamboo sticks, doused in something flammable...Sukhumvit, also shut down from one Central World to the other - protesters camped out with their families under the BTS tracks, sleeping on mats, hanging out their laundry, listening 24/7 to propaganda and sappy ballads broadcast over loudspeakers. The beginning of May marked the first clash, down by democracy monument, where i had first walked amongst thousands of protesters who believed they were there for freedom. People were killed, Khao San Rd. was trashed. i was a block away when the bomb was thrown onto Sala Daeng station. Central and Siam had closed their doors, and Thailand was losing an estimated U$100 million a day.
By mid-May, the showdown was getting really tense, the military was present everywhere, and a few days later, the city was completely shut down. No more BTS. nothing open - no place to go, even if you wanted to. Curfews instilled - 9 pm, then 8 pm...and 3 pm in my neighborhood. Sathorn and Silom Roads, and Rama IV, were closed off. The red shirts raided a HOSPITAL, never thinking about what that meant...we could hear the gunshots all night... 3 days of this, and it didn't look like this was going to stop any time soon. 28 fires set in the city, including Central World. People were getting shot in the street...and since the main streets were shut down, protesters came through the sidestreets now, crammed into pickups, holding rifles...
All incited by a power-hungry egomaniac who deliberately put his own people's lives in danger for his own gain... and all because a government couldn't let U$20 million slide, chuck it to a loss in the murky waters of political laws... And while the people fought to get money promised to them by the government, it boggles the mind how they can't see that had their hero REALLY had their interest at heart, he would not have laundered the government money through his own party...
So after three days of camping in and sticking together as the world around us became a fight zone, Tanya, Lannie, and I headed to Pattaya, which yes, had 9 pm curfews, but thank goodness, was not nearly as tense as it bangkok.
And 4 days later, i headed to Germany for a little mini vacation, which i had already been planning...
By mid-May, the showdown was getting really tense, the military was present everywhere, and a few days later, the city was completely shut down. No more BTS. nothing open - no place to go, even if you wanted to. Curfews instilled - 9 pm, then 8 pm...and 3 pm in my neighborhood. Sathorn and Silom Roads, and Rama IV, were closed off. The red shirts raided a HOSPITAL, never thinking about what that meant...we could hear the gunshots all night... 3 days of this, and it didn't look like this was going to stop any time soon. 28 fires set in the city, including Central World. People were getting shot in the street...and since the main streets were shut down, protesters came through the sidestreets now, crammed into pickups, holding rifles...
All incited by a power-hungry egomaniac who deliberately put his own people's lives in danger for his own gain... and all because a government couldn't let U$20 million slide, chuck it to a loss in the murky waters of political laws... And while the people fought to get money promised to them by the government, it boggles the mind how they can't see that had their hero REALLY had their interest at heart, he would not have laundered the government money through his own party...
So after three days of camping in and sticking together as the world around us became a fight zone, Tanya, Lannie, and I headed to Pattaya, which yes, had 9 pm curfews, but thank goodness, was not nearly as tense as it bangkok.
And 4 days later, i headed to Germany for a little mini vacation, which i had already been planning...
Monday, April 5, 2010
Paid to be there? Red sympathy wanes...
Admittedly, i was sympathetic to the Red Shirts in Bangkok when they first set up camp around Democracy monument. After all, the current PM (Abhisit) was selected by a government that staged a military coup (which cost lives) to oust the former PM (Thaksin) in 2006.
On the one hand, the call for a free election seems simple enough. Sure, why not? Seems that 4 years is enough time for an interim government to organize a new election. But, or course, things aren't that simple.
Thaksin was a telecom mogul before becoming PM, and while in power, his policies encouraged the growth (through programs and funding) of new business and innovation, including the renewable energy sector. He also made healthcare universally available for the poor (40 baht flat fee - just over $1) - a program that i've been told continues today.
But opponents say thaksin conveniently benefitted from his pro-business policies, going as far as to say that he purposefully set up policies that would make him richer. I suppose one would have to dig a little deeper into the exact policies, analyzing the proportion of them that benefitted him...
Officially, he was "caught in the act" when he sold majority shares his telecom company for US$60 million to Temasek, Singapore's telecom. The idea that a foreigner now owned the majority of thailand's biggest telecom company outraged many nationals (i don't see a problem in it myself, but i can see why others do).
One way or another, the claim is that he did not pay money he owed on this sale. From what i understand, this is what got him ousted from being prime minister...and his refusal to pay (or go to jail), is what got him exiled. His logic for refusing to pay might be based on the "pro-business policies" that his government instated, many of which were reversed when he was exiled (which had a significant impact on legitimate businesses who were thriving from those policies). Anyway, a month ago, it was ruled that Thaksin owes US$20 million.
There's more than one claim (rumor?) of corruption surrounding Thaksin. It is not unusual to hear thatThaksin "stole money from the government". Whether this refers to the taxes avoided, or different instances, is another mission...
What does seem evident is that Thaksin had the money to pay people off to get what he wanted, and had no qualms about doing so - some might tell you that it's par for the course when doing business in thailand. While this might be acceptable in business, it's a little less so in politics.
Bluntly put, buying votes sort of defeats the whole "vote for who you believe in" idea. Some say that votes were bought from the start - Thaksin went out of his way to court people from all over Thailand's countryside in a way that was unusual for most candidates...and his efforts (monetary or otherwise) were rewarded with instant popularity. Hey, in the US, we get tax cuts, rebates, and govt cheese - and whoever gives out the most wins OUR loyalty...
But I think Thaksin is starting to lose sight of things. I mean, first off, why not pay what he owes and be done with the whole mess. In addition, i find it disturbing to hear (more than once!) that the demonstrators are being paid 500 Baht a day to be there...and they get a free trip into Bangkok - certainly, this is more pay than many would be earning otherwise.
But seriously, Mr. Thaksin, when do you STOP paying to have friends? (i mean, at this point, he's GOT to have spent more than $20 million...)
Sadly, Abhisit is an Oxford-educated man who was actually selected from the Democratic Party... and he might not have been elected by the people (ahem, bought votes sort of nullifies the whole fair/democratic option) - BUT he was elected by representatives of the people in the goverment - the equivalent of "electoral" votes...
My point being, Abhisit is doing at least as much for the people as Thaksin did... which makes me wonder what Thaksin really cares about more - the people, or his own power? The demonstrators feel like they're part of a fight for freedom - because that's what it looks like. But really, that seems less and less what is at stake here...
So what is going on now...
The "peaceful demonstrations" have been allowed to continue for nearly a month now, and the military presence has shown remarkable restraint. But it's getting to the point where patience is wearing thin. Someone tried to bomb the Bangkok Bank headquarters (2 blocks from me) a week or so ago - without much fanfare, there are now more cops, a checkpoint on Silom Rd (both ways), more railings that make it harder to walk on the sidewalks and harder to get too close/into buildings.
Sukhumvit is worse (business district + many more foreigners) - Red Shirts will drive down the street for hours (they loop around the blocks continually) making all kinds of racket...need i mention that their presence by Central World made world headlines by shutting the whole place down...as the tension builds (and whiskey definitely plays a role here), less people are willing to go anywhere near the commotion...
Today (Monday) - Red Shirts actually managed to get into the government building (in chaeng wattana) and cause enough disruption, that they actually closed all the offices (except Immigration, which willingly stayed open to help those in immediate need).
Seems to me that for all his "pro-business policies", Thaksin pretty much threw them under the bus in exchange for his precious popular support... these demonstations are hurting businesses, leaving them little choice but to pressure the government to resolve the situation.
Maybe Thaksin hopes that this will work in his favor, but i think his plan is backfiring. He's causing a lot of trouble, and i don't think Thais appreciate this kind of drama (it doesn't make them look good) ...
So we shall see...this week, tensions are high, but next week is Songkran - kind of like easter - the whole country basically goes on vacation... so bangkok empties out a little, people go home to be with their families... maybe the demonstrators will be tired of the whole thing and go home, letting everything just be...
On the one hand, the call for a free election seems simple enough. Sure, why not? Seems that 4 years is enough time for an interim government to organize a new election. But, or course, things aren't that simple.
Thaksin was a telecom mogul before becoming PM, and while in power, his policies encouraged the growth (through programs and funding) of new business and innovation, including the renewable energy sector. He also made healthcare universally available for the poor (40 baht flat fee - just over $1) - a program that i've been told continues today.
But opponents say thaksin conveniently benefitted from his pro-business policies, going as far as to say that he purposefully set up policies that would make him richer. I suppose one would have to dig a little deeper into the exact policies, analyzing the proportion of them that benefitted him...
Officially, he was "caught in the act" when he sold majority shares his telecom company for US$60 million to Temasek, Singapore's telecom. The idea that a foreigner now owned the majority of thailand's biggest telecom company outraged many nationals (i don't see a problem in it myself, but i can see why others do).
One way or another, the claim is that he did not pay money he owed on this sale. From what i understand, this is what got him ousted from being prime minister...and his refusal to pay (or go to jail), is what got him exiled. His logic for refusing to pay might be based on the "pro-business policies" that his government instated, many of which were reversed when he was exiled (which had a significant impact on legitimate businesses who were thriving from those policies). Anyway, a month ago, it was ruled that Thaksin owes US$20 million.
There's more than one claim (rumor?) of corruption surrounding Thaksin. It is not unusual to hear thatThaksin "stole money from the government". Whether this refers to the taxes avoided, or different instances, is another mission...
What does seem evident is that Thaksin had the money to pay people off to get what he wanted, and had no qualms about doing so - some might tell you that it's par for the course when doing business in thailand. While this might be acceptable in business, it's a little less so in politics.
Bluntly put, buying votes sort of defeats the whole "vote for who you believe in" idea. Some say that votes were bought from the start - Thaksin went out of his way to court people from all over Thailand's countryside in a way that was unusual for most candidates...and his efforts (monetary or otherwise) were rewarded with instant popularity. Hey, in the US, we get tax cuts, rebates, and govt cheese - and whoever gives out the most wins OUR loyalty...
But I think Thaksin is starting to lose sight of things. I mean, first off, why not pay what he owes and be done with the whole mess. In addition, i find it disturbing to hear (more than once!) that the demonstrators are being paid 500 Baht a day to be there...and they get a free trip into Bangkok - certainly, this is more pay than many would be earning otherwise.
But seriously, Mr. Thaksin, when do you STOP paying to have friends? (i mean, at this point, he's GOT to have spent more than $20 million...)
Sadly, Abhisit is an Oxford-educated man who was actually selected from the Democratic Party... and he might not have been elected by the people (ahem, bought votes sort of nullifies the whole fair/democratic option) - BUT he was elected by representatives of the people in the goverment - the equivalent of "electoral" votes...
My point being, Abhisit is doing at least as much for the people as Thaksin did... which makes me wonder what Thaksin really cares about more - the people, or his own power? The demonstrators feel like they're part of a fight for freedom - because that's what it looks like. But really, that seems less and less what is at stake here...
So what is going on now...
The "peaceful demonstrations" have been allowed to continue for nearly a month now, and the military presence has shown remarkable restraint. But it's getting to the point where patience is wearing thin. Someone tried to bomb the Bangkok Bank headquarters (2 blocks from me) a week or so ago - without much fanfare, there are now more cops, a checkpoint on Silom Rd (both ways), more railings that make it harder to walk on the sidewalks and harder to get too close/into buildings.
Sukhumvit is worse (business district + many more foreigners) - Red Shirts will drive down the street for hours (they loop around the blocks continually) making all kinds of racket...need i mention that their presence by Central World made world headlines by shutting the whole place down...as the tension builds (and whiskey definitely plays a role here), less people are willing to go anywhere near the commotion...
Today (Monday) - Red Shirts actually managed to get into the government building (in chaeng wattana) and cause enough disruption, that they actually closed all the offices (except Immigration, which willingly stayed open to help those in immediate need).
Seems to me that for all his "pro-business policies", Thaksin pretty much threw them under the bus in exchange for his precious popular support... these demonstations are hurting businesses, leaving them little choice but to pressure the government to resolve the situation.
Maybe Thaksin hopes that this will work in his favor, but i think his plan is backfiring. He's causing a lot of trouble, and i don't think Thais appreciate this kind of drama (it doesn't make them look good) ...
So we shall see...this week, tensions are high, but next week is Songkran - kind of like easter - the whole country basically goes on vacation... so bangkok empties out a little, people go home to be with their families... maybe the demonstrators will be tired of the whole thing and go home, letting everything just be...
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
In case you haven't seen me in a while...
To the left, me and friend denise on khao san a few weeks ago - the look of ennui on my face is priceless ;) i like going to khao san because it's not so pretentious (you don't have to doll up or anything), and relatively cheap. Travellers usually are more willing to talk about where they've been, where they're from... and voila! easy, entertaining conversation... (usually i head with friend lannie in tow, and this time with denise, the newest addition to my favored Pinoy crew! i like to describe them as the Latinos of Asia...i feel the kinship, hehehe!) 
below, about 2 months ago (really? sheesh!) at the heart of silom, about 3 blocks from where i live... some will notice that i chopped my hair... it was a rash thing to do, and i still can't decide if i love or hate it - sometimes it's cute, other times (like, when i wake up in the morning!) not so much...! As for that bear/squirrel/'munk-ish thing - nah, i have no idea what it is, but it's big, fuzzy and cute, right?
coming back to life...
i'll do my best to be brief in catch-up...
exams were what they always are - miserable, hehehe! but survived, i think (not sure what the final scores were yet) ... my brain is definitely getting more stubborn in its "ripening" age - i don't like to memorize things for the sake of memorizing - and yes, by the end of the term, there were things i just plain never quite figured out how to do, despite multiple attempts. like, calculating thermal comfort and drawing the shaded area of a window overhang based on the solar angle... just too many vectors for this brain... some things need to be accepted, at least until they come up again... and perhaps by then i'll have a better method at my disposal...
so, i suppose the big news is, I'M DONE WITH CLASSES!!!
the anti-climax to that is... i'm really not sure what's coming up next.
confident in my knowledge, not so much in my skills - i was hoping by now i'd have a better handle on exactly how much energy gets saved/produced using different technologies, particularly solar pv... but a systematic approach still eludes me... so i'm hoping whatever comes next will change that...
on a sidenote, i'm teaching english at the university :) after taking more than 70 college classes in my lifetime, i learned a thing or two about teaching, i think - and it's a refreshing change to be ON THE OTHER SIDE of things! i've been given free reign, which is also kind of nice - i get to develop my own stuff, so i'd say there's a fair amount of history involved...and trying to explain concepts like perspective, art vs. design (vs. engineering), expression, imagination, conflict/social change, rock & roll, satire, jazz, the media...hehehe! bits and pieces that have stuck from assorted lectures over the years...
speaking of which, time to finish off today's lecture/exercises...
exams were what they always are - miserable, hehehe! but survived, i think (not sure what the final scores were yet) ... my brain is definitely getting more stubborn in its "ripening" age - i don't like to memorize things for the sake of memorizing - and yes, by the end of the term, there were things i just plain never quite figured out how to do, despite multiple attempts. like, calculating thermal comfort and drawing the shaded area of a window overhang based on the solar angle... just too many vectors for this brain... some things need to be accepted, at least until they come up again... and perhaps by then i'll have a better method at my disposal...
so, i suppose the big news is, I'M DONE WITH CLASSES!!!
the anti-climax to that is... i'm really not sure what's coming up next.
confident in my knowledge, not so much in my skills - i was hoping by now i'd have a better handle on exactly how much energy gets saved/produced using different technologies, particularly solar pv... but a systematic approach still eludes me... so i'm hoping whatever comes next will change that...
on a sidenote, i'm teaching english at the university :) after taking more than 70 college classes in my lifetime, i learned a thing or two about teaching, i think - and it's a refreshing change to be ON THE OTHER SIDE of things! i've been given free reign, which is also kind of nice - i get to develop my own stuff, so i'd say there's a fair amount of history involved...and trying to explain concepts like perspective, art vs. design (vs. engineering), expression, imagination, conflict/social change, rock & roll, satire, jazz, the media...hehehe! bits and pieces that have stuck from assorted lectures over the years...
speaking of which, time to finish off today's lecture/exercises...
Thursday, January 28, 2010
school, school, school. exams start mid-february. seems like i just finished the last ones... yes, i've had a few breaks in between, but pretty much will spend the next month scrambling from one subject to the next, and somehow make it all come together. i'm thinking, blogging will be pretty limited for february, maybe post up a few fotos... keeping my eye on the prize tho - i'm thinking a week in krabi/koh phi phi...
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Welcome, 2010: Kilroy was Here...
2010 - it sounds so sci fi... i could very well just be part of some insomniac-slotted, slightly apocalyptic 80s sci fi sitcom, hopelessly lost in the information overload of 800 tv channels - cheaper to let it run, rather than try to fill the time slot again...
it might explain my ability to survive for several days at a time on fried seaweed, coca cola gummies, wheat crackers, tuna, dark chocolate hershey kisses, pineapple yoghurt, glass noodles, and green tea... or my periodically sustainable ability to sleep for 2 hours a night - until it just slows down the network and needs a 10-hour re-boot...
All attempts to function during re-boot are subject to sudden crashes at any time...
it might explain my ability to survive for several days at a time on fried seaweed, coca cola gummies, wheat crackers, tuna, dark chocolate hershey kisses, pineapple yoghurt, glass noodles, and green tea... or my periodically sustainable ability to sleep for 2 hours a night - until it just slows down the network and needs a 10-hour re-boot...
All attempts to function during re-boot are subject to sudden crashes at any time...
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