Splish Splash Football: The Video

Weather warning continues

Thai Meteorological Department Weather Warning Aug 22 (SakonNakhon not included)

Rainy season weather pattern is coming from the east.


The next weather system has reached the Vietnam shores, with the worst of this storm moving south of us (see green directional lines).

Splish Splash Football: Sakon FC looses to Roi Et FC

It had been raining steady since 4 AM.
At times the rains got so heavy I was hoping it was not going to turn out like the floods of 2008.

By noon the rains stopped, but dark clouds remained for the rest of the day.
Dark clouds seemed to just hang there without moving.

Really thought they would reschedule the game, then I remembered where I am.
Light drizzle throughout the afternoon.  But it stopped by 6 PM game time.

     

The water on the field was quite obvious.

    

Yeah they were slipping and a sliding.  At least players didn't need water bottles to rinse off.
During the first half there was a lot of pushing and shoving by some Roi Et players, which really should have been penalized.
Made me wonder if the Ref was on the Roi Et payroll.

    

Roi Et quickly took the lead in the first half.
There were only three minutes between the second and third goal.
Sakon FC tried hard to score during the second half, but all they got was half a dozen close calls.
Real groaners.
The fans were a real surprise during the second half.
Even though the team was down, cheers got louder and more intense during the second half                

Weather Alert

Google Earth 7:04 AM, Saturday

Meteorological Department   Warning "Heavy Rain Flash Floods in hill areas" 


The warning does not list SakonNakhon, 
however it does list a number of neighboring provinces.

Didn't know him, but we shared a lot of friends

"Did you know the deceased?"  "No, but I know his family."

Surprisingly I was greeted by many people I knew, and some I should have remembered.
Lot's of folks from my neighborhood. Some folks I had met years ago.

Rainy Season Undesirable House Guests

Flying, crawling, slithering, running Pests,
they are all intent to use your home as a fine dining establishment.

During the rainy season, it's not just food they are after, but sheltered places to take up permanent residence.

Plants touching your house create ideal walking paths for ants and other insects.  Trim all branches.

Cracks in cement or tile floors and walls provides protection from being seen.
Inspect and patch the exterior of your home regularly.


Grout or silicone

If you're using silicone to seal crevices, make sure it says fungi resistant, especially in high humidity areas.  Inexpensive silicone will begin to harbor fungus in just a few weeks. Looks Ugly  

Used silicone on a wall exposed to the sun. Cracks started showing after six months of extreme heat. -

I prefer fungi resistant grout on cement surfaces.  It just seems to adhere better and last longer.



Whichever you favor, get the high quality stuff, unless you wish to make repairs frequently.


I use grout even for bricklaying.  





In the Bath Flowerpots and knickknacks may be pleasing to the atmosphere.
They create dark hiding places for all sorts of bugs. 
Clean under sink storage areas frequently


In the kitchen, it means keeping all foods in sealed containers.
Constantl wiping, constant cleaning.

If you're not ready to wash the dishes immediately after eating, submerge them in a sink or bucket filled with soapy water.
A large majority of bugs have a distaste for dish soap. It kills 'em.

If you leave dishes with scraps on the kitchen counter, 
you might also wish to install some flashing neon signs "FREE BUFFET HERE."

Dish soap diluted in water kills ants and many crawlers instantly and is fairly harmless to the environment.
Talc powder around entrances keeps a large majority of crawling insects at bay.

Geckos may be considered as pests by some, but their benefits outweigh the nuisance to others.
Their diet consists of mosquitoes, while some species of geckos (tiger) eat crickets, cockroaches, spiders.


 
Of course when all fails, 
when you're overrun by critters...
... it's time to call the local experts.



 

The equipment reminds me of space wars. 

When the fumigation is done it's time to  bring in the troops and do some industrial strength cleaning.

Of course when the rainy season ends, the flying bug season gets under way. 
Something to look forward to.

Sakon F.C. vs Mukdahan in Toyota Cup

Sakon FC faced Mukdahan FC 
in  Thailand's Toyota Cup yesterday (Wednesday).

First half ended scoreless.
Sakon FC scored first during the second half.
With two minutes left in the game,
Mukdahan FC tied the score 1 - 1.

The game went into extra time, no change in score.
The score was settled in a penalty shoot-out.
Final Score Sakon FC 1(4), Mukdahan FC 1(1)

This article refers to expatiates living in Japan, but applies to all western expatiates.  

Living on the wrong side of currency slides

Thai friends waiting

The best Thai vacations I've experienced are when friends await my arrival.

No getting in line for a taxi or bus, your friends have taken care of all arrangements.

Most likely they have a list of suggestions for places to visit and things to do.

Your friends can also advise you of local customs.

What you should and should not do.

Things like:

'DON'T feed elephants roaming in Bangkok. It's now a fineable offense.

It may not be such a good idea to carry bananas or peanuts in a monkey reserve. You may require hospitalization. 

Visiting sites with a friend or a family is much more enjoyable than having to maneuver through bus loads of crowds, attempting to get a good view, or hear what the guide is saying.

Of course it helps tremendously if your friends speak some English.

My first visits to SakonNakhon where like that.

Back in the U.S. I had befriended the owners and staff of a Thai restaurant.

They suggested I'd visit the city and promised that their local relatives would take good care of me.

I was really surprise when the person greeting me said "...you remember me?"

Yes I did.

He had been an exchange student and had worked at the stateside restaurant near my house.

I was welcomed by the entire family.

During my stay I enjoyed  private tours of all the attractions.

At public and private events, my host made sure I always had the best seat in the house.

Even my departure became a pleasant memory.

Dozens of people near the departure lounge. I now knew personally.

Sometimes they don't warn you, then it's a learning experience

First time I visited a farm village, our arrival momentarily disrupted an ongoing wedding celebration.  

I was handed what looked like a beer bottle.  

"No" I said, "I don't need a glass, I can drink from the bottle." 

It wasn't beer.  

I was chocking on Whiskey White.  If you've tasted Moonshine, then you know what this stuff is.
The famous Thai smile turned into a chuckle.

Headlines you shouldn't miss

Toyota League Cup, August 18, Sakon FC at Mukdahan FC  Mukdahan Central Stadium


Thai Takeover of Leicester: "watch them squirm pronouncing their bosses names"


Ending prostitution an uphill battle  Bangkok Post

Again?  China's tainted milk


Ocean Color Can Deflect Hurricanes, Study Suggests National Geographic


An I thought I was in a really safe place:  Tectonic Plates and Faults in Asia