News

I feel like I am slowly settling into a rut – and I don’t like it! Time just seems to be passing me by and I have a feeling that I am missing out on something – and that I should be doing something else. Problem is that I have no idea what I should be doing!!! But it aint this!

Nang has settled down well in Ireland and actually really likes it here. I think she would find it even better if she was able to work – which hopefully we will be able to sort out in the next few months. I am scheduled to meet the Irish Consular on my next visit to Bangkok and I hope to convince him to give her a proper working visa.

She has also made a few Thai friends of her own which gives her some independence! I haven’t met them yet but I am looking forward to a decent political debate on Thailand!

Politics & Biz

The Irish government came back from their holidays and promptly brought the Budget forward by 6 weeks. They didn’t make any changes but it all points to a fairly tough budget. There are concerns that they will mess with the property market and I think that would be a major mistake – it should be just left to sort itself out. They may, however, try to improve the credit situation and make it easier for people to get mortgages – but I don’t like that idea either. Why should they be encouraging first-time buyers to invest in a decreasing market? The developers will HAVE to drop their prices and the good ones should be able to absorb these costs. The developers who have over-stretched themselves due to their greed deserve what they get.

Overall, the mood is very gloomy in Ireland and most people are just accepting the inevitable recession but the real question is how long will it last and will this government be able to manage their way out of it? I have great doubts about Cowen. Since he has become Taoiseach he has been very quiet and seems to be lost. Its as if he is completely out of his depth!

The problem is that the opposition are not capitalising on this and they are proving that they are incompetent. Fine Gael have got to replace Kenny. Gilmore of Labour is doing a much better job.

In Thailand it’s just mad – mad, mad, mad! I am still enthralled and have been trying to keep up to date on all developments.

As it stands, Samak has been forced to step down by the Constitutional Court because he appeared on a TV cookery show. He is eligible to come back but there are certain factions within PPP who may not support this. If he does return as PM it will be seen as very provocative by the PAD. However, I really don’t think its possible to reason with PAD and as I read more about their intentions I get more confused. They are just “winging it” and have no clue what they want – except that it sure isn’t democracy!!!!

It’s hard to see where this will all end. Unfortunately I still believe it will get worse before it gets better. But if they come through this and democracy is still intact then it will be a very positive outcome and I think you will start to see many benefits.

However, it’s really up to the Thai people themselves to resolve this. They have to stand up to the corrupt politicians by not accepting any bribes or vote buying. If they really want to resolve this situation it can be done if the people fully embrace the democratic process.

It will certainly not solve ALL issues and there will still be some level of corruption but that is not unique to Thailand. Just look at all the Tribunals and corruption that has been going on in Ireland for years and years!!

The major problem with this political impasse is that it is the ordinary person on the street that suffers most. The economy will be hit hard and foreign tourists are already down by over 70%!!


More updates and discussions online:
http://www.cha-cha-am.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=389

Sport
Ireland have 4 points from their 2 away games. Not a bad start but I really feel it could/should have been more!! We were definitely the better team against Montenegro and I think that Trappatoni has given the team a purpose, shape and a belief that they are a decent team. John O’Shea was a revelation at Centre Half, Kevin Doyle was excellent up front and Glen Whelan and Steven Reid both played well in centre of midfield. A few people that didn’t perform include Keane, Hunt and McGeady!!!

Kerry are through to the final but will have to improve if they are to beat Tyrone.
Kilkenny thrashed Waterford in a really one-sided final for their 3 in a row.

Ryder Cup is on next weekend and I still cant get over Faldos decision not to bring Clarke – its utterly unbelievable!

Techie

Watched the England/Croatia game via Slingbox last night and the reception/quality was excellent!!! Top notch in fact! We were able to watch it on the projector in Evans house.

I also got my DVD player to work nicely with my USB key – meaning that I don’t have to mess around with playing music CD’s – instead I just throw the songs onto my USB key and bang it in! Problem in the end was that the USB key had to be formatted with FAT instead of NTFS. Doh!

I’ve also had some fun with Eircom wireless connections. I didn’t have the WEP key for my brothers router but was able to generate one that worked (of course, with his permission!!!!)……

Ents
I cant believe that Rachel won Big Brother. I actually liked her and the fact that, in the end, she was able to stick up for herself but I really cant figure out why Mikey didn’t win. He was hilarious! I was also embarrassed by Kat – she was so immature and just cried all the time when things weren’t going her way. Pathetic.

Last weekend we had the Early Bird in the Guinea Pig restaurant again and it was excellent. It worked out at €70 for both with a half bottle of wine. Its certainly not cheap but its worth a treat every now and then.

I’ve been trying to track down Beer Lao in Ireland and got some decent leads but in the end no-one is supplying Ireland!! They tried it last year but it didn’t sell that well – even talked to an owner of an off-license who said that he had to throw some out as it was passed its sell by date!!! Unreal! So instead I will have to just drink as much of it as I can while I am on my holidays.

Later tonight I am heading out to a Thai restaurant called “Koh” in the city centre.


IMHO
Just over 6 weeks to my holidays!! I don’t think I have looked forward to a holiday as much EVER before. I am clinging to the thoughts of just getting away from it all and endulging myself in Thailand again. The food (kaprao gai, khai dao, laad khao – yum!). The beer (Beer Lao – OK its from Lao but I can drink it in Bangkok now!!). The weather (better than here anyway!). The relaxation (massage for 10 euros!) and finally just showing off that I can speak Thai!!!! – although I am not so sure if I will be able to remember much of it.