What's wrong with men and gadgets?
Why they want to spend hundred of dollars on new gadgets while the old ones work just fine?
Well I dont really know, but I guess it's the same relationship between women and shoes & bags... (ha..ha..ha..)
Yes, I love gadgets.
If there is an award for most complete magazine for men, I will surely nominate the "T3 Magazine" (http://www.t3.co.uk/) as the winner... It perfectly combines the 3G rules.
It's true that I cannot say for every men in the planet, but most men (the straight ones, at least) are attracted to the 3-Gs : gadgets, girls and gerobak (Indonesian slang for "cars"). Okay, okay, it's not really a perfect 3-Gs then, but you get the point. Even I have developed a new set of theories about manhood that evolves around men, gadget, cars and girls.
"Those men who have interest in cars, will have interest in girls as well" - First Theory
Please note that like many laws of physics, the First theory is not reversible as well. Hence, it does not mean that those men who have interest in girls must have the same interest in cars. So, in Math language, the union of men who have interest in cars is a sub-group of the union of men who have interest in girls! 8-)
Want some proof?
No need to search more. Just go to any motorshows or any local motor sport event, or if you lucky, go to see the most prestigious F1 Grand Prix. I never seen any gays driving those jet-on-the-road nor v8 powered engine world rally cars and umbrella girls are not some poor women selling umbrella in the rain ... 8-)
In Bangkok, Thailand, every year they have a big International Motorshow and it is always packed with visitors. They come not only to see the newest cars, but also to see the pretty sales promotion girls.
(click here to see what I mean http://wirawk.tripod.com/bangkok_motorshow_2007/)
Ok, enough with the First theory. Let's go to the Second theory :
"Those men who have interest in gadgets but not in girls, they must be nerds" - Second Theory
Sorry, no offence guys, but this is the truth... (at least the way I see it). There is nothing wrong with nerds, in fact, we must respect them, otherwise computers will not be invented, we still type letters with a typewriter, send mail via post rather than electronically, and we blog in those thick leather-covered journal book and nobody will read it (ouch!).
Even Bill Gates, the God father of Microsoft himself warned us not to cross with nerds. "Be nice to the nerds" he said, "you may end up working for one..."
...to be continued
Monday, December 10, 2007
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
How do you spell that in English?
When I first arrived in Bangkok last year, little did I know about the Thai language (well, actually my phasa Thai is not much improving now).
All I know it was a tonal language that one word can have multiple meanings depending the tone you say it. If I remember correctly, there are five tones, ie. high tone, raising tone, low tone, falling tone and middle flat tone.
Honestly, I could not really distinguish the five of them. I could only perhaps differentiate or pronounce three of them, the flat, raising and falling tone. The rest will be somewhere in between. I just could not imagine how an emotional Thai will be able to manage her or his tone when speaking angrily to someone? wouldn't that be in all high raising tones?
Nevertheless, there is one secret about Thai language that I don't know until a few months later...
That there is no exact and standardised translation from Thai alphabet to English/Latin! And yet Thailand is among the biggest western tourist destination in Asia.
What does it mean? It means among Thai people themselves, they have several version of writing Thai words, including the name of places, address, in English, except the English writing for several few big cities, like Bangkok itself.
However, many other places are spelled differently. Even though they are quite famous for tourists and located in central Bangkok.
For example, the famous weekend market in Bangkok are spelled Jatujak and Chatuchak. The famous Sukhumvit road is also spelled Sukumvit, Asoke and Asok, Aree and Ari, Ratchadamri and Rajdamri, Rachathevee and Rajdewi, Ekkamai and Akamai, Phetburi and Phetchaburi etc.
One of the main reason is I guess that there is no exact match pronunciation of the Thai alphabet in English. Thai have consonants which are pronounced in between 'p' and 'b', 'k' and 'g'. 'l' and 'r', 'j' and 'ch' etc.
So that's why the famous Thai phrase 'mai pen rai' which loosely means "it's all right" is also written as 'mai ben lai'.
Ok, so now you know the secret, hence next time you try to look for a Thai address in the map, don't be confused if you dont find the same English spelling, Srinakarin and Srinagarinda are the same place!
In my experience, 95% they are the same place if their pronunciation is similar. Except for some exceptions like, Charoenkrung and Chalongkrung are in fact 60km apart.
Then, how can you be certain? if you are in doubt, well there is only one way to do, ask your local friends!!
All I know it was a tonal language that one word can have multiple meanings depending the tone you say it. If I remember correctly, there are five tones, ie. high tone, raising tone, low tone, falling tone and middle flat tone.
Honestly, I could not really distinguish the five of them. I could only perhaps differentiate or pronounce three of them, the flat, raising and falling tone. The rest will be somewhere in between. I just could not imagine how an emotional Thai will be able to manage her or his tone when speaking angrily to someone? wouldn't that be in all high raising tones?
Nevertheless, there is one secret about Thai language that I don't know until a few months later...
That there is no exact and standardised translation from Thai alphabet to English/Latin! And yet Thailand is among the biggest western tourist destination in Asia.
What does it mean? It means among Thai people themselves, they have several version of writing Thai words, including the name of places, address, in English, except the English writing for several few big cities, like Bangkok itself.
However, many other places are spelled differently. Even though they are quite famous for tourists and located in central Bangkok.
For example, the famous weekend market in Bangkok are spelled Jatujak and Chatuchak. The famous Sukhumvit road is also spelled Sukumvit, Asoke and Asok, Aree and Ari, Ratchadamri and Rajdamri, Rachathevee and Rajdewi, Ekkamai and Akamai, Phetburi and Phetchaburi etc.
One of the main reason is I guess that there is no exact match pronunciation of the Thai alphabet in English. Thai have consonants which are pronounced in between 'p' and 'b', 'k' and 'g'. 'l' and 'r', 'j' and 'ch' etc.
So that's why the famous Thai phrase 'mai pen rai' which loosely means "it's all right" is also written as 'mai ben lai'.
Ok, so now you know the secret, hence next time you try to look for a Thai address in the map, don't be confused if you dont find the same English spelling, Srinakarin and Srinagarinda are the same place!
In my experience, 95% they are the same place if their pronunciation is similar. Except for some exceptions like, Charoenkrung and Chalongkrung are in fact 60km apart.
Then, how can you be certain? if you are in doubt, well there is only one way to do, ask your local friends!!
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Do You have Time?
I think the most problem faced by new blogger like me is to find a time to write... (do you agree? let me know what is your biggest problem starting to blog..)
God has gives us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, yet we seem not have enough spare time to write a blog... 8-)
My first post was about a week ago and I seem to have many things on my mind but yet I dont find a time to write it down (what an excuse...?). Most often I had to choose between writing a project document (which I do for a living) or start posting a new blog 8-) and the first seems to win most of the time.
I just dont think it's fair for the coy (and it wont look good on my career either) if I start logging to my blogsite during office hours instead of submitting project document which due for circulation in few days time. But I must admit, the temptation to switch website, from internal site to this blog site is always there.
The most tempting period is 10-11am and after 4pm...
The first period is tempting because you think you just finished answer some important emails and still an early time in the office (at least where I work when most people show up and start working at 10am) . The second period suggest that you have done most of your work and now you deserve a little break....
Somehow, I still struggle to find a perfect time to write a blog. Is it on weekend? is it late at night where most people are already asleep? is it during your lunch time? or is it during your boring hours at work? I just wondering, how do most top executives from Dell, Apple, IBM or any Fortune Top 500 coys still find some time to blog while I still find it difficult to...
(hey, why dont you tell me when is your favorite time to blog? is there any rituals?)
People say Blogging is addictive, once you're in, you can't get out... it keeps coming back to you...
Well, those days still yet to come...
God has gives us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, yet we seem not have enough spare time to write a blog... 8-)
My first post was about a week ago and I seem to have many things on my mind but yet I dont find a time to write it down (what an excuse...?). Most often I had to choose between writing a project document (which I do for a living) or start posting a new blog 8-) and the first seems to win most of the time.
I just dont think it's fair for the coy (and it wont look good on my career either) if I start logging to my blogsite during office hours instead of submitting project document which due for circulation in few days time. But I must admit, the temptation to switch website, from internal site to this blog site is always there.
The most tempting period is 10-11am and after 4pm...
The first period is tempting because you think you just finished answer some important emails and still an early time in the office (at least where I work when most people show up and start working at 10am) . The second period suggest that you have done most of your work and now you deserve a little break....
Somehow, I still struggle to find a perfect time to write a blog. Is it on weekend? is it late at night where most people are already asleep? is it during your lunch time? or is it during your boring hours at work? I just wondering, how do most top executives from Dell, Apple, IBM or any Fortune Top 500 coys still find some time to blog while I still find it difficult to...
(hey, why dont you tell me when is your favorite time to blog? is there any rituals?)
People say Blogging is addictive, once you're in, you can't get out... it keeps coming back to you...
Well, those days still yet to come...
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