Haway the lads!

Having lived in Sunderland for a few years and having supported the team flawlessly in that time, let me urge the Black Cats to play their hearts out today as they face Chelsea and the drop out of the Premier League.

Don't bodge it today and let the Magpies off the hook. If one of you goes down, let it be them.

DW


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Yoghurt pots

This has been bothering me for years but I have finally snapped: no reason, I just snapped!

Has anyone designed a yoghurt pot that doesn't involve the need for moebus strip mathematics to empty? Since I eat yoghurt from pots in many countries, I don't think so.

We will hear arguments to do with shipping, stacking, filling machines and so on but what about the consumer? Moreover, what about all of the yoghurt that inevitably gets lodged in all those crevices and left behind?

End of this rant.

DW




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Hotel Fodder

I am staying in a good hotel but having been living in hotels non stop since early April, I am in need of my own bed now. Still got around 10 more nights to go before I can crawl into that bed.

Let me show you where I am staying until tomorrow: in Bangkok and in a hotel I have not stayed in before: the swissotel Nai Lert Park on Wireless Road. You will see that it's set in a fantastic garden considering it is smack bang in the centre of the city.

Love the roots

Traveller's palm 

Waterfall 

Pool

DW

The BBC's Ethical Man

They've done it again, the good old BBC. They ran a series on BBC TV in the UK in which a reporter changed the way he and his family, living in London, were living. The car went, they insulated the loft and all the rest of it, to try to show us what it would be like to minimise our personal carbon foot prints.

So, having done that, they decided, as they usually do, that this programme had so much more to offer but that the UK was just too confined a space in which to operate. So, they send this reporter off, doubtless with a large and/or expensive team, to the USA for him to learn what it's like over there.

They are interviewing hippies who are lobbying Congress, hick farmers sitting on a train for 22 hours at a time as they travel to Florida from Chicago. They were delighted to meet the likes of Darryl Hanna on a train, too, as she was expressing her right to lower her own carbon foot print.

In other words, this reporter is doing NOTHING that he could not do in the UK. If I could I would withdraw my TV licence as I really do not support the way they dash off to the USA at the drop of a hat as they forget that the acronym BBC stands for BRITISH Broadcasting Corporation.

Clots!

DW

Coming to the end in Thailand

Thanks for the messages asking me where I am ... I've not been blogging so often and you are missing me! Aw, isn't that nice?

New Seminar

I am coming to the end of my two months in Thailand now. In about two hours I will begin my two day assignment here. Looking forward to it as it is one of the best chances I have had to run a seminar where the delegates really will be at the centre of their own world.

The seminar is on cash flow and working capital management. I have prepared everything on the assumption that the delegates are coming to talk about THEIR cash flow and THEIR working capital management problems. So that's what's going to happen.

Bridge Over the River Kwai

Such a beautiful setting and such a nasty piece of work. I went to the River Kwai for the first time on Monday and it's difficult, impossible for me, to walk through the museum of the death railway with feeling really sad for the men whose plight we cannot in any way empathise with. Moreover, revulsion at the people, yes people, who made our men and boys live and work in such conditions. Humans doing this to humans.

Anyway, here are two photos of me for your consumption: one of me on the iron bridge over the river and the other of me with one of the railorries they built: lorries converted into railway trucks.

Overall the trip I was on lasted a whole day, 13 hours from door to door and was a good experience: the cemetries are fantastic and a lasting tribute to the men of many nations who suffered so much.

 

The Future

From early June I will be spending a couple of weeks at home <gasp> and can hope, horrible word that, that I will put my photos and videos together in some semblance of order. Lots to see.

Moving to Thailand

I have been asked if I am thinking of moving to Thailand to live and the answer is yes, I have been thinking about it. Might still think about it. I will reflect on that over the next few months so let's see what happens.

Thanks again for the support I get via this blog and thanks for thinking about me!

DW

Al Rehab

I kid you not, the cafe in the foyer of the Intercontinental Hotel Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia is called Al Rehab.

Ironic considering Saudi is a dry country!

DW


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Burnley FC one step nearer ... and a top tip

Whilst Burnley FC were bounding through to the Championship play off final at Wembley in almost two weeks, I know someone who was patiently waiting in Saudi Arabia for the match to be screened live on the telly in his hotel room. Here's a top tip: don't wait for such a major event whilst you are tired with the television SWITCHED OFF. Otherwise you might find yourself waking up three hours later having missed the entire game. DW

Dream on

Burnley 1 Reading 0

Championship Play off 1st leg.

Good start.

Up The Clarets!!

DW


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Novotel at BKK? No!

Just spent a ghastly night at the Novotel at Suvarnabhumi Airport Bangkok.

Slept really badly.

Air conditioning unit as noisy as a 737 at take off. Switch off the unit and boil to death.

They increased the rate by 10% between saying yes to staying and having checked in. Then I found out it was room only. Add another 12%.

TV remote control packed in at 2300 just when I needed it most: when I was in bed.

All of this and I am a Novotel Gold card holder. Such benefits!

Told them I wouldn't stay there again.

DW


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Hello, we're from Florida

Ever lived in dread of hearing someone belching out the words, or something similar, in the title of this post?

It happened a couple of weeks ago as I was having breakfast in my hotel in Chiang Rai, Thailand. My partner Tar and I were the only two people in the restaurant when another couple arrived and sat themselves at the table next to ours.

We were eating and chatting and they were organising themselves.

Suddenly, out of the blue, "Hello, we're from Florida. Where are you from?" Well, for Tar it's a bit of a give away as she's definitely a Thai lady!!

I took the bait and responded. A simple conversation took place and it turns out that he's a dermatologist, plastic surgeon he said, from Florida and she's an investor in property in Florida. Quite wealthy between them I think.

I am sure these are good people and no better or worse than anyone else but I have to say I was surprised at a plastic surgeon having brought to the breakfast table a container into which he piled pieces of fruit and into another container bread and meat for their later consumption! Bit tight that with food in the Chiang Rai area being so cheap.

DW

Burnley FC: still daring to dream

The Owen Coyle Burnley Boys at Turf Moor have done it: they won their last game of the season to secure a place in the Championship play offs. Winning the play offs would see the lads playing in the Premier League next season.

They have played very well this season, albeit not as consistently as everyone would have liked but Owen Coyle has transformed the team in his relatively short spell at the club. Well done that Jock!

At the time of writing I don't know the dates and games to be played but I know there are grown men and women including some famous names who are nervous as kittens now as they wait to see what fate has in store for The Clarets.

Just yesterday I got a text message telling me, "John (around 30 years of age!) a nervous wreck at the Turf." A nervous wreck and they won 4: 0!!

DW

Swine Flu Nonsense

I know there are people on this planet who will have been hiding in their house or office as they live in dread of catching the swine flu virus. I also know that some readers of this post will say the WHO did a good job by creating pandemic style awareness of the virus.

I flew from Doha to Bangkok with Qatar Airways last week and we were all issued with a face mask as we boarded the plane. Every member of the cabin crew wore their face masks throughout the flight, although I can't speak for the pilots, of course, since I didn't see them during the flight.

A friend of mine went a bought his own face mask prior to flying to the UK from Dubai.

So, lots of awareness. I think lots of hysteria. I related a week or so ago that I heard of 170 deaths in Mexico from swine flu. I then heard that this figure had been downgraded by a massive amount to around 100 deaths. Major over reporting of deaths in what was only a minor outbreak by any standards.

Now, I have been sent a slide showing the official classification of risks from the UK Government. Swine flu has not registered on that chart and will not and yet every household in the UK has been targeted to receive what is probably an expensively produced leaflet on the topic.

I just wonder who it was who put the world into panic? Who in the UK Government was so scared that they careened headlong into producing the leaflets I just mentioned?

Are there any real lessons from this minor flu outbreak? I will be talking in a couple of weeks to businessmen in Thailand about the post auditing of projects and I wonder what level of post auditing will be carried out following the nonsense classification of pandemic level 5 of this swine flu outbreak?

Nonsense health administrators and nonsense politicians of the world unite.

DW

RIP Ron Murdy

I have just been told that my former father in law has died and I want everyone to know what a good man he was. Friendly and generous and an excellent grandfather to my children.

I haven't seen him for many years but he's not someone I have forgotten or can forget.

As a matter of faith I would like to believe he is now reunited with his wife Joan who died a few years ago: another one of life's good people.

DW


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Swine Flu

This swine flu outbreak is causing me pause for thought. In case it's not the same where you are, BBC News began its first (or very early) report by discussing a pandemic rather than just a problem or an outbreak ... a pandemic means the whole world is potentially engulfed by swine fu.

I have been watching this news unfold as the week has gone by and I am still perplexed as the World Health Organisation has moved the pandemic warning level from 3 to 4 to 5: there's only one level left, 6 and then it's officially a pandemic.

What's puzzling me is that there have been around just 160 deaths in Mexico, where the outbreak has started, one death outside of Mexico, in the USA. However, the current numbers, as at 29th April 2009, are:

• 13 cases in Canada
• 64 in the USA
• 26 in Mexico
• 2 in the UK
• 2 in Israel
• 3 in New Zealand
• 4 in Spain

Does this represent a level 5 pandemic warning? I am in Dubai this week with a risk manager/practitioner and he would rather point out that in the time it has taken to get to 114 reported cases in addition to the deaths, the number of people KILLED and/or badly injured in car accidents, accidents at work and murder, in addition to rape, robbery and so on are at inter galactic pandemic proportions by comparison.

Of course, I am well aware that this outbreak may become more serious and that prevention is better than cure; but aren't we seeing people on the news who are merely trying to make a name for themselves? Getting themselves in the public eye and wanting to stay there?

Obama the News Boy?

I was also rather puzzled yesterday when I saw President Obama being trotted out to tell people to cover their mouths when they cough and sneeze ... he's the President of the USA. Isn't that a bit of overkill?

DW

Blumenthal? Blumen'eck!

I have just watched Heston Blumenthal's "cookery" programme for the first time. I think it's good that his restaurant had to close and I'm not surprised 400 of his diners became ill. His food is deadly.

He faffs around in a pseudo scientific way with his food. Then he decimates it.

Roast potatoes? Grossly over boiled and the finished product looked to be heaving with fat. Crispy but very fatty.

Roast chicken? Again, massive amount of faffing and to ensure his chickens were especially deadly he injected the butter enhanced dripping from his chickens back into the bird.

No wonder we are now a nation of lard arses. Even his carrots were cooked in butter rather than being lightly boiled or steamed.

Appalling.

DW

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Watch the News: over and over and over

The BBC is a massive news gathering and presenting organisation. When I can I watch it wherever in the world I am. Of course, I prefer it to CNN, ABC, EuroNews and so on because now it is more relevant for me. It's not that long ago, however, when BBC World News had NOTHING to say about Britain: not part of the world then, apparently. It's much better now.

This post, however, is a bit of a moan. Odd that!

I have been awake for about 90 minutes already today and I have seen the same news reports on BBC World News at least three if not four times already. Moreover, some of the stories were run over and over again yesterday.

I wouldn't mind if they updated their stories but they don't: they simply run the same tape or articles again and again.

Here's some news for BBC News: it's BORING!

You can tell me to watch something else: erm, yes but my Arabic, Thai, Chinese, Czech, French, Russian, German ... are all rather weak so the local/other channels on offer are usually of little value to me.

DW

What do you get ...

... when you mix the following together in the Chiang Rai district of Thailand?

8 Thai women of varying ages
One farang of a certain age
A plastic bucket
An empty plastic oil can
A stick
An enamel bowl
An empty spirits bottle
A table
Sundry spoons
Sundry small bowls
An apparently infinite supply of Thai Whisky

Answer, you get a Songkran Karaoke.

Massive four hour entertainment that fell to a low point when the farang sang Weela Wallia and Strangers in the Night, fortunately not at the same time, however. Also fortunately no one understood any of the words or possible mistakes and a solid round of applause was earned each time!!

DW

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Songkran

If your sesne of humour extends to seeing people getting drenched from dawn to dusk, willy nilly and non stop then come to Thailand for the Songkran Festival.

Songkran is Thailand's week long annual water festival that people try to return to their home provinces to celebrate.

Groups of people station themselves at various places at the side of the road and they throw buckets of water at anything that moves, especially motorcyclists and anyone sitting in the truck part of a pick up.

Then you'll find some people wielding a hosepipe, which is especially potent at the traffic lights.

Just observe the different strategies adopted too:

Throw and hope
Mathematical arcs
Aggressive and horizontal

The drivers of pickups have much to answer for as they often slow down as their trucks approach the water throwers!

A final element is relentlessness: I think this is the funniest part, where one pickup can be targeted many times in a minute.

Good clean fun.

DW
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I did it: country 50 visited

Well, I did it! Not the country I had planned and not the way I expected but I have now visited my 50th country.

In my previous entry I said I could see Laos from our restaurant in Thailand. Well, when we took a trip up the Mekong River we came to Myanmar too. For part of the journey we could see Thailand, Laos and Myanmar all at the same time.

Then we hurtled back down river and stopped at the Lao market where we paid 20 Baht each to enter Laos and to buy some odds and ends from that market. I bought a Laos fridge magnet: for my sister in law.Well, I did it! Not the country I had planned and not the way I expected but I have now visited my 50th country.

In my previous entry I said I could see Laos from our restaurant in Thailand. Well, when we took a trip up the Mekong River we came to Myanmar too. For part of the journey we could see Thailand, Laos and Myanmar all at the same time.

Then we hurtled back down river and stopped at the Lao market where we paid 20 Baht each to enter Laos and to buy some odds and ends from that market. I bought a Laos fridge magnet: for my sister in law.

There you go. Where had I planned to go for my 50th country? I was going to go to Italy. Rome to be precise. That might be my 51st country. I will let you know.

DW

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Thai - Lao Border

For the record, I am currently sitting in a restaurant looking over the Mekong River towards Laos.

Country number fifty to look at but I cannot go there today as I am on a tour. We will be taking a trip down the Mekong shortly.

DW
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