Too Much Hullabaloo

The making of a Temple  Statue Very ceremoniously, dignified ritualistic event

Nakhon Phanom F.C. clobbers Mukdahan F.C. Very seldom are football games from the Thai Division 2 League North Eastern Region broadcast live on television. Sunday, the game between Nakhon Phanom and Mukdahan was the exception. It's of local interest for a number of reasons: Sakon F.C. travels to Mukdahan for it's next challenge on May 19. The following weekend (May 27) Sakon F.C. hosts Nakhon Phanom. The Mukdahan game next weekend is winnable by Sakon. Mukdahan is in 14th place, while Sakon is in 16th (last) place, in the league. Nakhon Phanom is in third position in the league.  A number of their players are former Sakon FC players.

At the Edge of a storm May 14, 5 am     May 15, 4:20 am A storm had been growing just north of us for the past three days. Hasn't moved very much, just been growing in intensity. Weather services seem to be at odds what's going to happen locally. Some predict 75% chance of rain, while others are at a low 20% today. Chance of rain seems more likely in the coming days. 5 am this morning temperatures dropped to a very pleasantly cool.

Blinded by the light Up to 90% of Asian Schoolchildren Are Nearsighted - TIME

Naga Hullabaloo  Months after the sighting of the phenomenon on Nong Han, claims continue to surface that Naga has appeared. I'm more of a believer of the scientific explanation, especially since no sighting to the dragon head have been reported.  A standing or stationary wave. It is created when two opposing waves meet

Crystal Ball Vision? Bank of Thailand: Inflation risk increasing - MarketWatch

Funny Mail

Sakon F.C. hosts Amnat Charoen F.C.

Looses 2-1 With both teams wearing blue uniforms, you had to really pay close attention to the game to discern which team the player was on. It was a well played game.  The team seems to be improving, but...!!! During half time I somewhat got the impression that the team is suffering from financial woes. Giving out calendars almost half way into the year, seems like "they've reached the bottom of the barrel." Previous half time prizes were football shoes, team rings, team shirts, and such.  Personally I prefer a halftime show rather than a prize lottery. Most of the time defending the Amnat Charoen goal seemed all to easy The surprise of the game came at the very last minute, when Sakon F.C. scored.

Sakon Nakhon Media multiplies

Sakon Nakhon Media Growth    Sakon Nakhon Live started out as a website in 2007 with hardly any competition The provincial website was up and running (Thai Script), but updates were very sporadic. There were a few Sakon Nakhon oriented website start-ups, but they soon disappeared.  Regular Sakon Nakhon (Thai script) posts began appearing at  Skyscraper city in April 2008 under the heading  SAKON NAKHON "City of Beautiful lake, Beautiful Mountain and Beautiful Girl"  Sakon City on facebook had it's (Thai script) first post on May20, 2011  Sakon online is the latest (Thai Script) website.

Worth reading   City of Beautiful lake, Beautiful Mountain and Beautiful Girl    Recent newsworthy photography, includes Robinson construction photos   A warning from voters in Europe to Thai populists - The Nation    problems are a result of the kind of spending policies we are seeing now in

Anti Hair Fall You may think this is trivial criticism, but shouldn't it be Anti Hair Loss? It's been my favorite shampoo for a decade

Funny Mail

Locals gone fishing

Thai Silly Made me giggle, made me chuckle, made me laugh. If laughter is the best medicine, then take your medicine, watch this video !!

Cost Cutting Seems local schools are bent on cost cutting. Most of the English teaching jobs I'm hearing about are all part-time jobs at Bt10,000.  Of course there's not much interest by 'native English speakers with a BA' in part-time employment.  I've always thought if the Thai government would change their policy and let foreign retirees become *teaching assistants,* without having to change their retirement visa, there would be an unlimited supply.

Floods and Droughts and a heatwave in Thailand Ten provinces in northern Thailand have been warned of possible flash floods, while some southern provinces are experiencing extreme drought.  Droughts and floods have been regular events almost every year. Little has been done to remedy those problems. Bangkok swelters, sparks debate on city planning in Asia - Reuters Australia Network News-Stories-Heatwave hits flood-hit Thailand

The Price of Rice  Government destroys Thai rice  THE NATION India Set to Pass Thailand as Top Rice Exporter  businessweek Government set to make Thailand largest food trade center in Asia  Thailand News

Ploughing Day 2012 As in all previous years, the ceremony was telecast 'live'. I watched some of it, but after seeing this event year after year, ...I quickly lost interest ... I went grocery shopping. Really obvious was the meat section, plenty of looking, but no purchasing. The recent price hike was the second spike in pork and Beef prices in the last 12 months. Bought some fish to stock my freezer. Taking the shortcut home I came across  locals taking advantage of the 'NO WORK DAY' by going fishing.     The entire ceremony is preserved in seven videos at You Tube

Sakon Nakhon places to see      Map by isaanlife

Funny Mail

Sakon Nakhon Magic

Wednesday, 9 May 2012 Royal Ploughing Day    Marks the traditional beginning of the rice-growing season Wikipedia:  "...oxen are offered plates of food, including rice, corn, green beans, sesame, fresh-cut grass, water and rice whisky. Depending on what the oxen eat, court soothsayers make a prediction on whether the coming growing season will be bountiful or not..." Televised Live on most Thai TV

Shrimp farmers protest seeking higher prices May 8 MCOT The article mentions recent price hikes in Sakon Nakhon: Pork from Bt 105 to Bt130  per kilo. US$1.90 per lb  Chinese Kale price doubled from Bt 20 per bunch to Bt40 Further price hikes are expected with the start of the new school year (May)

Sakon Magic  A nice selection of local 'Traditional' music by  Vienchai on You Tube

Sakon Nakhon Football dying?

Sakon FC  2012  Home Games   Losses   Wins
Date	Opponent	Score
February 18, 5pm	Nong Khai	4-1
February 25, 5pm	Udon Thani	3-1
March       4, 5pm	Sisaket	2-1
March     10, 5pm	Ubon Thani	1-1
March     18, 4:30	Mahasarakham	4-0
March     24, 5pm	Roi Et	7-1
April          1, 4pm	Nong Bua Lamphu	3-1
April          8, 5pm	Kalasin	1-1
April        21, 6pm	Surin	6-3
April        29, 5pm	Yasoton	2-0
May        06, 5pm	Loei	3-0
May        12, 5pm	Amnat Charoen
May        19, 4pm	Mukdahan
May        27, 5pm	Nakhon
June          2, 5pm	Chaiyaphum

There were better days

   Founded in 2005, Sakon FC started off in the Premier League

May 5, 2005

Carabao performed in Sakon Nakhon     May 5 2012

Rayong Chemical Factory Blaze kills 12

Cost of Living - Temperatures RISING

Bang Fai, Phang Khon 4-5-6 May 2555

Prices in Thailand going UP!!      The series continues May 5 AJARN forum     Is Thailand expensive now? May 5 Bangkok Post    Fast-food prices up by 2-10%                                                        Chains try to keep up with increasing costs May 5  Bangkok Post   Pheu Thai failed us, say red shirts   May 3  Bangkok Post   Govt probes surge in food prices   May 1  ASIA ONE         Thailand's higher living costs eat up hike in daily wage

Looks like the makings of a disco supply store next door to the 'Apple' restaurant. Brings back fond memories of the 70's.  Some friends of mine were Disco installers and DJ's. Carabao was performing in town last night. Prefer to listen to his music in a concert setting, rather than a bar.

La Nina departed El Nino arrival expected  It's official: A number of weather services have declared that La Nina "the girl" has departed. La Nina is blamed for increased rain and storms in SE Asia. The arrival of El Nino "the little boy" is anticipated later this year.El Nino gets the blame for local droughts A slight rain shortly after midnight cooled temperatures 'slightly.' Indications are that local temperatures will continue HOT Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed AccuWeather 30 31 32 32 34 33 33 34 33 35 AccuWeather Feels Like 42 42 39 42 41 40 41 40 43 43 MeoWeather 31 33 34 35 35 36 36 Thai Meteorological 32 32 31 34 35 The Weather Channel 31 32 32 33 34 34 34 Wunderground 31 30 33 34 36 35 34 34 34 34

Move over Beethoven

Melons and Coconuts

Watermelon Star Show - Best Variety Google Translation

It's not watermelons, but then, who am I to complain?

Coconut Harvest

Decided to harvest some nuts before heavy storms bring them crashing down.
A few will wind up in my blender, mixed with rum preservative.

Rescued Plant

Found it abandoned in a vacant lot and brought it home.  

So far it seems to not attract insects

Bangkok experiences hottest temperatures in three decades

Recently saw a number of headlines declaring the Bangkok Heatwave of 2012.
Temperatures in the mid forties (113F).
The local thermometer hasn't gone quite that high, but local humidity made it feel just as hot as Bangkok.
I'd been hoping for some rain accompanied by cooler temperatures.
Three days of nearby thunder, but the rain clouds just passed us by.
I've frequently referred to that phenomena as the Doughnut Effect

A Heavy Rain and Flash Flood Warning by the Thai Meteorological Department (this morning)  

excludes North-East Thailand. 

"... very heavy in some places ...  in the western portion of Thailand, the North, Central, the East and the South West Coast

Rising Cost of Living

Complaints are mounting

• Pheu Thai failed us, say red shirts  Bangkok Post

Nong Han Trivia

Get drunk, it's good for business Holiday

Bus Accident in Sakhon Nakhon

Prices going up       Didn't expect anything else when the 300 baht per day minimum wage was introduced. Thailand's higher living costs eat up hike in daily wage - Asia ONE

5 dead, 30 injured when Bus overturns, Break and steering failure suspected

Part-Time English teacher wanted      Nakhon Phanom 'Indochina School of Technology'  (PT 10,000bht)