Opinion: saying Goodbye to Phuket, for now

Reply
 

The following opinion piece was initially composed and intended to be published in the “Island View” opinion column of the Phuket Gazette weekly newspaper.

However, the editor who oversees content and layout for that page decided not to publish it because the Siamerican refused to change the lead/angle regarding the setting of Phuket’s final moments…

Basically, that editor said that he was “sensitive” to the column’s references to a tsunami, because  ”many people died in it”, and added that the timing was especially sensitive because of a Hollywood film called “The Impossible”, which just happens to be scheduled to premier in Thailand this week.

That movie supposed to be about the 2004 South Asian Tsunami. You can read more about that movie by clicking the wikipedia link as well as this IMDB link to the film.

Anyhow, the editor said he won’t publish the piece unless the tsunami connotations were reworked to be associated with another disaster, such as an earth quake or volcano.  However, the Siamerican decided the work would be lost if it were changed to such requests – after all, when/if Phuket does come to an end, there is, I don’t know, say a 99.999% likelihood that the end would involve water, as opposed to lava.

And even if an earthquake triggered the island’s end, water would certainly finish the job… Anyhow, it would be a waste if the article is not published, and what better place to publish such a piece…so without anymore delay, enjoy!

Continue reading →

Vlog: Ghost Widow and Country Confucius

1
 

Following is a brief Video Log (Vlog) where the Siamerican addresses a ‘Ghost Widow’ regarding a vague yet vivid vision he experienced sometime between deep sleep and early waking hours — or perhaps just a figment of the Siamerican’s imagination. The Siamerican goes on to talk about why he hasn’t published a vlog in a while, citing his busy work schedule and talking a little bit about his job working for the local newspaper. In particular, his role covering the local football (soccer) and futsal teams, as well as being the business editor. In the video he talks about his ‘Country Confucius’ referring to his Country twang o’ speech and Confucius style beard, which some have even called an ‘Osama Bin Laden’.

Island View: Cannabis as a cure for cancer

1
 

The following opinion piece, conducted by the Siamerican, was initially published in the Island View column of the Phuket Gazette newspaper’s August 18-24, 2012 edition.

MY AUNT-IN-LAW’s cancer – initially thought cured – has returned with a vengeance, spreading to multiple vital organs at an ever-worrisome rate. When tests late last year first detected the cancer in her abdominal region, she was immediately transferred from Phuket to Haad Yai.

There she underwent radiation therapy, yielding a hopeful prognosis; the cancer was gone, so everyone thought. But late last month, when she was overcome by fatigue and migraines her doctor decided to immediately send her back to Haad Yai.

The cancer has now spread to her lungs and parts of her brain, and doctors don’t seem very confident that the current radiation sessions will be effective, let alone if her body will even survive such sustained radioactive trauma for a second time. Like many others, at first I was skeptical to learn that there is and has always been a natural cure for cancer. Continue reading →

Island View: Phuket Culture Shock

1
 

The following opinion piece, conducted by the Siamerican, was initially published in the Island View column of the Phuket Gazette newspaper’s April 28 – May 4, 2012 edition.

A GOOD friend of mine, a fellow American who lives in Bangkok, came to visit me in Phuket over the Songkran holiday. Even though he had lived, studied and worked in Central Thailand for the better part of a decade, Phuket was new territory to him. Continue reading →

Island View: Bundle ’em up, return to sender

Reply
 

The following opinion piece, conducted by the Siamerican, was initially published in the Island View column of the Phuket Gazette newspaper’s July 30-Aug 5, 2011 edition.

“HOW dare those conniving migrant workers steal our rights, identities and jobs – they need to be dealt with, pronto!” This is the type of nationalistic sentiment that is perpetuated by both politicians and civilians alike.

It is not limited to Thailand either. A similar dilemma has spurred the ire of “patriots” in the United States where migrant workers are used as a scapegoat for everything from the low standards of education and health care to rising unemployment rates. Continue reading →

Island View: Making Penance with the Water Guardian

Reply
 

The following opinion piece, conducted by the Siamerican, was initially published in the Island View column of the Phuket Gazette newspaper’s November 12-18, 2011 edition.

THAIS celebrated Loy Krathong on Thursday by paying homage to the water guardian, Mae Koang Ka. In a symbolic gesture to ask forgiveness for polluting waterways, they set afloat handmade kratong, which they believe carried all their misdeeds and bad luck away with the current.

Meanwhile, Bangkok’s street-turned-canals flowed with dark-green, blackened and increasingly raunchy flood runoff – a man-made concoction of motor oil, feces, trash, polystyrene foam, plastic and other debris. Continue reading →

Island View: Phuket Transportation situation not all that bad

Reply
 

The following opinion piece, conducted by the Siamerican, was initially published in the Island View column of the Phuket Gazette newspaper’s December 17-23, 2011 edition.

MANY o’coffee break and lunch hour have dwindled away in what to me is rapidly becoming one of the most annoying topics of debate: Phuket’s transportation system, or lack thereof.

Ask most expatriate residents and self-proclaimed gurus on an indefinitely extended holiday, about the situation, and they’ll matter-of-factly inform you that the island’s infrastructure is a product of the local mafia.

Dare to entertain such a notion and you’ll learn that the only hope for Phuket – these ever-enlightened wise men insist – is for “Bangkok muscle” to come in and sweep the island clean. That way Phuket can become just like Pattaya, Bangkok or any other place o’er the rainbow, take your pick. Continue reading →

Island View: Instilling Home Team Spirit and Pride in Thai Son

Reply
 

The following opinion piece, conducted by the Siamerican, was initially published in the Island View column of the Phuket Gazette newspaper’s  June 30-July 6, 2012 edition.

I BECAME elated with pride when my six-year-old son, who was born in Thailand, recently told me that his favorite sports teams were Krabi FC and Phuket FC.

We were having dinner at a restaurant in Phuket Town, and a few tables down from us there was a small group of young adult, Thai males who were glued to the restaurant’s TV screen. Continue reading →

Island View: Butting in Phuket traffic; patience practice

Reply
 

The following opinion piece, conducted by the Siamerican, was initially published in the Phuket Gazette newspaper’s Feb 11-17, 2012 edition.

QUEUEING up to make a turn at a major traffic junction during Phuket rush hour is a good opportunity to practice patience. On the way to the office, I’ve come to recall nearly-forgotten days from my childhood.

Thanks to Phuket’s traffic, one particular term from my school days has been reborn: butting. “Butting” referred to the act of cutting or skipping in line, or as someone from Europe might know it “queue jumping”, and in Thai, “sang queue”. Rewind back to my elementary school in Colorado, USA.

Continue reading →