ollylama

people on this forum have to stop comparing the red shirts to hitler. yes, their oratorical style is meant to whip up fury but that's the point. you couldn't foment a mass movement with hello kitty and scooby doo at the microphone.

the fact that so many farangs deny that that fury isn't truly there and was something manufactured by thaksin is nonsense. the red shirts who rallied in bangkok knew that they were risking their lives for the sake of their cause. whether you agree with that cause or not is your prerogative. but to dictate whether a people should engage in risky protest is not.

human life is sacred, but so is the choice to risk it for what one considers a higher cause. it's presumptuous that anyone, farang or thai, should be able to determine whether something is worth dying for or not. everyone, including the red shirts, expected casualties. this is nothing that thaksin hid from them. they aren't lambs to the slaughter. if they succeed in their endeavour, then they'll be considered martyrs and heroes. if they fail, they'll still be considered martyrs and heroes when history looks back on them, just as it does in regards to those killed in the 76 and 92 massacres. that isn't to say that this conflagration is the same - those were far worse. the government is behaving admirably this time, as are the officers. it's only to say that what's at stake is seen by some as the same.

it's terribly tragic that people are dying of course. it's terribly tragic that people are dying everywhere in the world when virtually all conflicts could be solved without the loss of life. so it goes. all sympathy is welcome but i feel that smug moralizing of this stripe is out of place.

just because we're bereaved doesn't make us saps.

isn't that Shomer Shabbos? I don't f&@%ing roll on Shomer Shabbos!!!

8 year olds dude.

hey take it easy man. no one's gonna cut your day of rest off. bowling starts at 7pm which is after sundown and hence, does not violate the sabbath. so you sure as s**t can f**king roll!

if you will it it is no dream.

By the way, the event is going to start rolling at 7pm for those interested in getting an early start on the evening. they make food there so if you'd like to dine, that's your option, man. can't vouch for the quality though.

lanna bowling is indeed inside the northwestern corner of the moat. it's an impressive 24 lane place where no one ever goes for some reason.

Because it's too crowded.

ha ha. yogi berra was a dudeist.

lanna bowling is indeed inside the northwestern corner of the moat. it's an impressive 24 lane place where no one ever goes for some reason. i went a few weeks ago and had a ball (pun intended).

sounds like after bowling the posse will be headed over to guitarman for white russians. guitarman is up the road towards the river from mcdonalds in the night market (chang khlan). good bands play on saturday.

by the way, here's the article that was in december's citylife: http://www.chiangmainews.com/ecmn/viewfa.php?id=2718

and the dudely lama's new column, "the dawn of the dude" starting in this month's issue: http://www.chiangmainews.com/ecmn/viewfa.php?id=2801

The IT Center at Pan Thip has 100"x80" screens for about 3500 baht. not sure if the stand was included.

Hey there's going to be an informal bowling get together at Lanna Bowl this Saturday March 6th at 8pm for anyone who'd like to celebrate the Day of the Dude, Dudeism's high holy day. (Dudeism is a not-so-serious religion with 70,000 ordained "Dudeist Priests" and was a cover story in December's Chiang Mai Citylife Magazine).

All you've got to do is show up. There will be some free prizes handed out (tee shirts, "what would dude do" bracelets and dudeist voodoo dolls (dudeoo dolls) and possibly on the spot ordinations. If you wear a bathrobe, a tee shirt and short pants, you'll look especially apropos.

There's a facebook invite page here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=338406237889

And you can see more about The Day of the Dude here: http://dudespaper.com/the-day-of-the-dude.html/ and Dudeism here: http://dudeism.com

If you haven't gone bowling in Chiang Mai in a while or ever, it's highly recommended. The lanes are world class and it's guaranteed fun, and it's cheap.

No proceeds will go to anyone but the bowling alley, by the way. Dudeism is a non-prophet religion.

i went to a guy several times in pan thip plaza and always thought he was overcharging me. no matter what i needed, no matter how small it would be between 500 and 1000 baht, which i considered too much.

so one time i tried someone else in the computer center on the north side of the moat. the price i was quoted to fix it (burned out power supply) was very reasonable.

they totally destroyed my computer.

now i always go back to the same guy in pan thip again. he still rips me off but he does a good job.

i'd spilled coffee on my computer a few months ago and it took all that time to eat away at some component. he charged me 2000 baht to get it working again. it seemed like a lot. but it wasn't. my computer is working great.

his name is kong, and his shop is on the third level as you go up the escalators on the north side of the building. it's the biggest repair shop there, filled with piles of broken equipment. but he knows what he's doing. he's made a misdiagnosis once, but usually he's spot on.

things are sounding dire out there. i just found out that a good friend of mine was robbed while he was in the shower yesterday. took computer, money and phone. and i just found out that a couple i know well were also robbed while they were at home, one sleeping, one in another room working.

this is very worrisome.

i used to be afraid to leave my house. now i'm afraid to leave my computer room.

time to get a doberman i guess.

i was robbed last year. they forced the back door open as well. now i have bars on the inside. but they'd tried to pry the bars off the window too and it looked like they almost succeeded. good news is they only took cash and cameras. left some old laptops and mp3 players and stuff like that. they took a kilo of loose change i had in a big jar though. weird.

my farang gf called the tourist police and they said they couldn't do anything about it. but my landlord is from a respected family and when he called half the police force came over. still didn't do much.

a week later, one of the cops came by to ask my gf if her "husband" was home. she said no and then he asked her out on a date.

now that's service!

ha ha. this is like writing a letter to a london newspaper telling everyone about this great guitarist named eric clapton.

no offense of course. it's great that you managed to discover him. seeing took used to be a mandatory part of a good night's out in the 90s. chiang mai has grown so much since then and there is so much new live music that many newer visitors never even hear about him. it's a shame.

he's a genuinely nice guy and a great talent. i've jammed with him several times and he is incredibly welcoming and humble when playing with others who are not of his caliber.

his nephew, boy is also a fantastic guitarist (more of a mellow traditional blues style), and usually opens for his uncle. boy is also an incredibly nice guy.

If UG has been there I am sure there are only crumbs left but keep a few of those we wil be there in half an hour.

actually i was there at the same time as UG and also was lucky enough to try the delectable desserts. the fudge brownies were spectacular - chock full of walnuts. and the cherry cheesecake was just perfect. in the interest of not bursting my pants i opted to abscond with the cupcake and will report on it later.

oh and the Mic something (i forget the exact name) burger was a joy as well. a huge beef patty with mushrooms, onions, cheese and bacon on toasted french bread with a really nice sauce. i got a bit messy from all the sauce but it was a glorious mess indeed.

already looking forward to my next visit. thanks john!

just had breakfast there. john the owner is a nice guy and the food was really good and well-priced. plus, if anyone is looking for a back issue of citylife, they seem to have the entire archives on file!

i'll be back fo' sho'.

in my opinion, the best pizza in town is at an unlikely venue - guitarman bar. the owner is a master chef and great musician besides. its on the small street that branches off from the night market road (chiang khlan) right by mcdonalds.

the chiang mai dental hospital on the superhighway (just west of the chang puak road intersection) has always served me well. just had my teeth cleaned for 600 baht and they did a great job. A couple of years ago the dentists at Ram told me I had three cavities which I did not have. Since I've only had one in my life (give your kids fluoride supplements! worked for my sister and i), i figured they were full of it. they were. nothing like upselling people on medical procedures they don't need.

although, be warned - i do remember someone saying that the same place extracted the wrong tooth by accident once. if you do go, make sure they know what you're in there for!

i made this film with some friends back in 2001:

http://oliverbenjamin.net/niceillusion.html

it was great fun. didn't make a dime, of course. nor did we expect to. but i highly recommend making a short film as a way to make memories. here's an article i wrote about the experience in citylife:

http://www.chiangmainews.com/indepth/details.php?id=1334

ha ha! no, the necklaces i have in mind are too thin and fragile to be used for bondage. unless you're really really frail, that is.

you're right realthaideal. warorot it was. a shop near chiang mai plastic had that and so much more for very good prices.

chiang mai plastic, by the way, is one of the coolest stores in the universe. for those who haven't been there.

where can i find leather necklace string? not with a pendant but just the plain string with some kind of clasp. could be woven or just a strip.

i'm also interested in the other options for natural type necklace string.

i checked out that indian/nepalese/hippie shop on the back street of warorot and they were asking too much, a few hundred baht each for what they said was black silk.

My partner and I have been learning tai chi and martial applications with Rod at Body & Mind Healing studio for a few years now - we can definately recommend him. His website is - bodyandmindhealing.org

rod doesn't advertise any prices on his site. got any info?

sioux city sarsaparilla. that's a good one.

at my previous house my landlord paid the police for the box and the patrol. they came by infrequently and only during the daytime so i'm sure the cop wouldn't have kept any burglars away. but the red box itself might have helped. just one more reason to choose another house instead.

Does anyone know a place to get custom jewelry made in Chiang Mai? Basically I'm looking for small pendants which would be a variation on a yin yang diagram and could be made from turquoise, silver, stone, or colored glass. I'd like to make at least 100 for the first run. I've checked out Nova, but they seem way out of my budget.

I might also be interested in custom rings and bracelets.