Better you than me, kid

Begone boring cards

Do you have a boring smartcard or rail pass in your pocket? Why not spruce it up with a sticker that brings you joy? Why not indeed!

It even comes with instructions that show the design on the sticker changing when you apply it. Awesome.

Sanuk

I'm really bummed these pictures turned out blurry, because they're such a great illustration of the Thai idea of sanuk. From what little I understand, the concept of sanuk is having fun while doing work. The Thai ideal is not that you trudge through your work looking forward for the end of the day where you don't work and have fun - the ideal is that work itself is approached in the spirit of fun and play, so that work becomes play.

So at the BTS one day Sam and I ran into the chicken people - workers from Burger King handing out flyers for a special promotion. They were wearing chicken hats, and were really having a great time doing it. We asked if we could take a picture, and they happily hammed it up for the camera. This is really a great example of one thing I've really enjoyed about working and living with Thais - the focus on bringing energy, enthusiasm, and fun to working in a group together. Especially if it means wearing chicken hats.

H1N1 sign

H1N1 shows up here and there on signs and actions around town. This is a sign talking (presumably) about symptoms and preventative measures. The puking guy is my favorite.

You do see some folks wearing face masks here and there (mostly improperly - most folks don't realize just how tightly sealed masks need to be to avoid breathing in really really small things like viruses), but for the most part people are carrying on as usual. Sam and I haven't adjusted anything we do - who knows, we may have contracted it by now! From the sounds of it, it's hard to distinguish symptoms and impact from the common flu.

Cosplay in Bangkok

A bit of explanation is in order - some people like to dress up like their favorite Japanese comic book characters. Doing this is called 'cosplay'. I had no clue about this, so occasionally I'd be at the mall and would see someone in a very funky looking outfit and think hmm, what interesting fashions you see in this town.

Fortunately Sam and I were at a local mall and ran into a 'Japan Fest' where there was a cosplay competition taking place. We got the drift and now we know what cosplay is. And so do you.

(sidenote: if more teenagers in the States spent more time doing this sort of thing and less time doing the sorts of things they are currently doing, they'd probably be better off - so parents, encourage your teenagers to read Japanese comic books!)

More pics of Erawan shrine in Bangkok

More pics of downtown Bangkok from the office