Weapons Check

The southern weather system has won out over the northerly cold and the easterly winds we've been experiencing the last weeks.
4PM indoor temperature is 86F (30C).  Outdoor temperature is 102F (39C).
Add to that the humidity Factor and it feels more like mid 40C. 
Expect temperatures to slowly inch upwards over the holidays.


Cleaned the pool around noon. The water is starting to warm up, but it still felt chilly at 75F (24C).

By 3PM the pool was in use and it was a good opportunity to to do a weapons check.

Normally they serve as garden sprayers, but at this time of the year they are turned into ice-water-canons
All systems A.O.K.

I have found that these garden sprayers outlast all water guns, and in most cases are less expensive. 
After the hot season my ice-water-canon returns to it's normal duties in the garden mister.

Native English speakers with bachelor degree in demand

ajarnjobspace
Thatnaraiwitta School, Sakon Nakhon
Full Time Native English Speaking Teachers
At least 30,000 baht per month
approximately 15 periods a week plus occasional overtime when required.


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Sakon Y.FC vs THET.C

One o'clock they said. 
I decided to show up half an hour late after visiting with Scott at the great  ESCAPE.

The game got underway promptly at 2:10
Most of the team  and coach are from my neighborhood. 
Have known many of the families for a number of years.

Had a front row seat on the team bench.
Of course cheering a winning team is always more fun.
Game action was near superior... 
...though each team received one yellow card.
Sakon FC should really be scouting these games.

After the game I donated Bt 1,000 ($30) to the winning team for their victory celebrations.
Most of the team showed up at my house for a Thai style beef dinner after concluding their victory celebrations.

click image for larger view

Load not properly secured
April 8  in Sakon Nakhon 
facebook Wall Photo by Anton Proszamer

Time Travel Thailand 

Pictures taken in 1971 and 1972 in Nakhon Phanom.  Does include pictures of downtown Sakon
Explanations and comments accompany the pictures



Thailand's Rice Bowl May Get Smaller... Bloomberg

Muang Sakon Nakhon Highways and Police Porn Shop

Really lost in translation!! 

The website "sakoncity"  has an article about a recent readiness and preparedness drill.

Thai Script ... English Translation
The police porn shop translation was worth a chuckle, so I did a bit of further investigation.
By translating the word (อปพร.) I discovered that there are alternate meanings.
One of those translations is 'together.'
Chuckle subsided now it actually makes sense: 'combined offices' of city and highway police.
Adds a whole new meaning to 'lets get porn,' lets get together!

You still wonder why I'm not even trying to learn the language beyond some basics???



Tinglish:  the imperfect form of English produced by native Thai speakers due to language interference from the first wikipedia

Sakon weather not unusual

Recently added a new source to my daily weather reads.  
According to  meoweather the weather is actually not that unusual for this time of year.
The website compares the weather with the three past years.  

High temperatures this year are actually the highest in four years listed.

The difference we are feeling this year is a 25% drop in humidity from past years.


Today: Rain around noon, then clearing trend

I wasn't asked, I was told, they are coming...

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A Thai friend of mine  has decided to coach a local little league of sort.  
It's the pint size version of Sakon Football Club.
I wasn't asked, I was told, they are coming to use the pool .
Twenty-some kids, fully charged energy, and voices loud enough to wake the dead.  Running in every direction.

I tried using sign language to tell them to keep the noise down.
Guess that signal was mistranslated, they all sat down.

The kids using the ping pong table must have mistaken it for some sort of destruction game.
The game ended when there where no balls left, just scattered bits of plastic.

As they were ready to leave I had to give a sign language lecture of what to do with wet swim wear and wet towels. 
The sign language consisted mostly of me picking up all towels and swim wear and hanging it all up to dry.
I guess at home they have a maid picking up after them.


The following day, I had just cleaned the ring around my over-sized bathtub when they returned.  Again fully charged.  Kids that age seem to have an unlimited supply of energy.

That day I told the coach, group visit limit once a week!!



Climate Change Blamed for Thai Floods as UN Climate Talks Open
Environment News Service

1966

Climate change may be the cause for extreme rain  to extreme drought conditions, but I would suggest the the flood problem is exasperated by the denuding of forests and poor planning.
It's obvious that flooding conditions in this area (S.E. Asia) are common. 
Don't think the previous occupants of this land put their houses on stilts simply because they preferred to live upstairs.
We need a new government publication here:  "Flood Control for dummies?"

NOK Air doubles Sakon Nakhon flights

Nok Air to operate two flights per day to Sakon Nakhon 
If you read the article you will note  Boeing 737-400 are planned for this route.
"These flights operates with Boeing 737-40"

Health department advisory
The onset of hot weather coincides with an increase of diarrhea and other food borne diseases.
During this time food tends to spoil quicker when not properly stored.
Additionally it is advised that persons should always wash their hands before handling food.



Sakon Nakhon Donation Center for Thailand's Flood Victims
Donations will be accepted until April 30 at the Provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation offices.
Donations of cash and supplies totaling 150,000 baht where collected on the first day, April 30.

Wireless USB internet

Mobile Internet Alternative 


Bought my laptop early one  morning.
Did some initial exploration back in my hotel room.  Quickly got bored.
I needed an Internet connection to entertain myself.

As dusk set in I was headed to a nearby electronics store for a wireless USB internet connector.

The device was listed at Bt1,300, but discounted to Bt1,000.  Card included, with 40 hours for the first month.

The label on the case states mobile broadband, another label states 3G.  Once you plug it in, you realize it will outrun a snail, but that's about it.

Try to watch a short on-line video, and you'll have to give it some time to load. I finished my second drink before a ten minute video played in full.

Your high speed gadget can only go as fast as the service provider equipment allows.
Thailand's broadband started to gain momentum in 2007.  New users are added at an estimated 30% growth per year.  Upgrades to the system have repeatedly been delayed due to political and legal maneuvering.
Maybe this year, maybe next.. They've been saying that for a few years!

For correspondence (text), the mobile service is great.
I was really amazed by the speed when uploading pictures.  It was actually reasonable.
General surfing speed was acceptable when avoiding video files
Mobile devices are available by the hour or unlimited monthly rates.



Weather Cloudy and possible showers, Clearing in time tor the weekend



 Newly discovered fault line near Nakhon Sawan poleshift


 Songkran festival April 7 through April 24 at various locations khonkaen.ws
Locally more traditional dates will probably be celebrated April 12 through 15, with a parade on April 13.
Traditional Songkran celebrations consist of family reunions, a family feast and paying ones respect to Buddha and family elders.

 Sakon Nakhon's other neighbor   Pattaya Daily News
Nong Khai province divided to create the 77th province

 Thai government requests Korean language tutors  TMC
"...the tutors will teach laborers and soldiers hoping to work in Korea..."

 Air France first European airline going direct to Cambodia Thai  VISA
As more direct flights become available and bypass the 'Bangkok hub,' Thailand's tourism arrival numbers could experience a further drop

Sakon Nakhon Time Warp

The start of the game was quite impressive.
Well played first ten minutes.
After that it seemed like Sakon F.C. players were exhausted.
Plenty of moans and groans from the stands.

Then it happened you could tell seconds ahead that a score was imminent.

It was as if Sakon FC had slipped into a slow motion time-warp. 
The goal just shouldn't have happened.

By halftime I was considering other places I could be.

Don't know what was said and done during halftime in the locker room.
Whatever it was, it did wonders.

Possibly the team read and understood the smoke signals during halftime.

The teams performance during the second half was impressive.  
As if they had shifted gears into Excellent.

Strange thing though.  The moment Sakon made the third goal, I looked at the scoreboard.
It had already been updated and the scorekeeper was sitting comfortably.
Must have been the SakonNakhon Time-warp.

Some local military personnel joined the cheer leading team.
They got louder and noisier during the second half. They really 'got into the game.'
Consuming two bottles of  "W.W." seemed to have done the same thing WD40 does to a rusty nut and bold.

The FC Restaurant (east of the M.J. Majestic) was the place to be after the game to meet players, coaches, staff and fellow Sakon F.C. Fans.

139 photos in album 110403 SakonFC

Nong Khai is next on the schedule.
Shopping trip to Nong Khai under consideration.