Toodles...
Ramblings of a Bangkokian Girl
Some AP and Reuter photos from the past week.
Elephants greet delegates to the 15th International AIDS Conference.
Activists and protesters converge from around the world and crowd Bangkok streets to raise awareness on AIDS-related issues, including drug prices, clean needle distribution, and condom use.
Lookie here, they can rhyme too.
Subtitles, for your viewing pleasure.
U.S. officials were shouted down at the various press conferences by European and Asian activists. America was accused of not having a larger delegation presence at the conference, and while the United States is the most generous donor nation on AIDS, they were criticized for promoting "treatment and prevention plans that pander to conservative religious purposes and to the powerful American pharmaceutical lobby".
Kofi Annan and his wife greet HIV-infected children at a Bangkok hospital. He praised Thailand for its past successes in reining in AIDS, and warned that Asia is at a critical turning point in fighting the scourge.
"We need leaders everywhere to demonstrate that speaking up about AIDS is a point of pride, not a source of shame. There must be no more sticking heads in the sand, no more embarrassment, no more hiding behind the veil of apathy."
British actor Rupert Everett with a family affected by HIV.
"Prejudice keeps people in wealthy countries from paying attention to the worldwide AIDS epidemic. We are extremely racist."
Hollywood actor Richard Gere at the AIDS conference.
"I found myself in the last few days getting very teary about [the plight of all the infected youths], and in the middle of the night I started crying and it all came back to me."
Miss Universe 2004 Jennifer Hawkins of Australia greets an AIDS patient and monk at an AIDS hospice in Thailand.
Miss Universe 2004 Jennifer Hawkins at Bangkok's Wat Phra Kaew.
"Messages about safe sex have still not reached most of my generation. There are a lot of things that kill people today, but nothing rivals the stigma of AIDS."
Hong Kong pop star and YouthAIDS ambassador, CoCo Lee, and HIV-positive muppet, Kami (of South African Sesame Street fame), speak to reporters during a press conference.
Nelson Mandela and Sonia Gandhi shake hands after the closing of the 15th International AIDS conference.
Mandela: "I cannot rest until I am certain that the global response is sufficient to turn the tide of the epidemic. History will surely judge us harshly if we do not respond with all the energy and resources that we can bring to bear in the fight against HIV/AIDS."
Gandhi: "I have seen people who have lost jobs and who have been ostracized, and the orphans not adopted because of stigma, and I have seen people fading away in front of their helpless families."
Ashley Judd and CoCo Lee join a religious rite for those who have died of AIDS-related illnesses at Wat Phrabat Namphu hospice in Lop Buri province.
Ashley Judd and CoCo Lee sit with a HIV patient at the AIDS hospice in Wat Phrabaht Nampu temple.
After having been splashed across all the local newspapers and evening news recaps, this image has become rather famous around town.
พูดเรื่องเก่าเก่า เลื่อนลอย
และรอคอย ปลอบตัวเองว่าเธอต้องมา
ห้องมืดกว่าเก่า และว่างเปล่า
เหมือนฉันอยู่บนหอคอย
อ่อนแรงลงไปช้าๆ
อ่อนล้าเกิน จะหายใจอีก"
Currently Reading: Shopaholic and Sister by Sophie Kinsella (The 4th installment of the Shopaholic series - I finally got it! What can I say? Every girl needs a little chick lit to spice up her bookshelf, you know.)
Hmm, what's up with everyone suddenly getting married? What happened to that independent, single female lifestyle a la the chicks from Sex and the City that all 21st century women were going for? (Not that I personally live a lifestyle even remotely Sex and the City-ish, but you know what I mean.) Last June, one of my bestest of friends in the world from middle school, Arwen (a.k.a Mama Goose/Wenny Booby/Wennypoops), got married over in Vancouver. I unfortunately was unable to attend her wedding since I was, oh, halfway around the world. Then, a few months later, I heard from Caro that another girl from my high school days, Jenny, recently got married over in Taiwan. And THEN, news comes by again telling me that my twin, Hanna (back in middle school, everyone said we looked the same from behind), who's living over in Korea now, has gotten engaged.
The latest to get hitched is my blondie friend Rachel, from our RIS days. Rachel, Arwen, Paul, Manesh and I used to be in the same IB Biology class during our junior year, and whenever we weren't falling asleep from Mr. Trautman's (we affectionately dubbed him The Trout Man) insanely monotonous voice, we were busy making fun and giggling at his creepy bug-eyed stare (some of us suspected he had hyperthyroidism); the way he used to pause at the end of his sentences before drawing out a long "O... kay"; and the way he used to try to convince us that amoebas are "actually really cool, little critters, really" in a manner that made us suspect that he was also trying really hard to convince himself that he too was having fun talking about amoebas. If I remember correctly, I think we (the entire class) even succeeded in unintentionally seriously pissing him off once. I forget what the whole ordeal was about, but I remember that he got even more bug-eyed than normal (if that's even possible) and his monotonous voice actually sounded... angry. We learned that day that The Trout Man actually was capable of conveying emotion with his voice and wasn't as robotic as we'd originally thought. We were like the children of the corn incarnate - real devils, I tell you. Someday, we will pay for our sins. But don't feel bad for The Trout Man, everyone; rumor has it he had a really hot Thai girlfriend, and a lot of us suspected he lived a really un-Trout-Man-like life outside of school. Some of our upperclassmen even said that they'd spotted The Trout Man with his girlfriend once, having drinks and dancing the night away around Bangkok's ultra red light Patpong district. But then again, a lot of those same upperclassmen also thought they'd seen our Catholic studies teacher hanging out around Silom Soi 4 in a gay bar once, too. (Please God, please don't let The Trout Man or Mr. F ever accidentally stumble across this. Please.)
Anyways, back to Rachel. Rach is a real smartie farty. Not only did she excel in all her subjects back in high school, but she was/is THE biggest pop culture expert. Go to her about anything pop culture-related, and she'll be able to tell you anything and everything you might want to know about anyone from Britney Spears to the Backstreet Boys (Rachel used to like singing "I Like It That Way" whenever we were rummaging through our lockers). Rachel just flew into BKK from South Carolina the other week to hold her wedding reception at the Rembrandt Hotel with her newly wed hubby, Brandon, but I unfortunately was unable to make it. Jup called me the night before to ask what I was going to wear, and the big question on her mind was "what the hell are you supposed to wear to an American wedding reception? Do they get as glammed up as they do at Thai weddings?" I didn't have the slightest idea, so I told her that I remembered reading from some recycled Vogue or Cosmo column somewhere that it's always better to overdress than to underdress when it comes to social functions. I hope I was right and the reception turned out okay for her. But anyways, congratulations Rachel and Brandon on tying the knot! Aparna told me a few months back that after meeting up with you guys in London, that if there were ever a couple more perfect for one another, it was you two. Here's to many years of happiness and some good South Carolina living.
MOM: I heard on the radio today that Whitney Houston's having a concert on the 19th.
LYNN: Yeah... are you going?
MOM: Of course I am. I'm trying to convince your dad to go to the Whitney concert instead of the Andy Williams one.
LYNN: (Thinking to self)Oh man, how boring. Andy Williams? The moon river guy?
MOM: But I'd rather go to the Whitney concert.
LYNN: Mom, you only know, like, one of her songs.
MOM: I do not. I know a lot of her songs. Like that Bodyguard song.
LYNN: That's the only song you know, Mom.
MOM: Well, so what? (Begins to sing) And ayeeeeee eeee ayeeeee, will always love yooooooo....
LYNN: That's great, Mom.
MOM: Wheeeeell al-waaaays love YOOOO hoooo OOOO hoooo OOOO oooo (attempts shrill, vibrating, Whitney-esque falsetto by means of shaking head up and down).
I stopped by my cousin's house the other day to drop something off for my mom, and while I was there, I chatted with my aunt as she prepared some look-chin pla for my cousins. Because I am a nerd, I am going to enlighten you all with a brief Histology lesson, look-chin style.
In Thai, look-chin means meat ball. A great variety of said meat balls can be found here in the Land of Smiles, for example:
Look-chin pla = Fish balls
Look-chin moo = No, not cow balls (moooo!), but pork balls
Look-chin neua = Beef balls
Look-chin gai = Chicken balls (Does this mean that guys are chicken? Heh, j/k.)
Look-chin goong = Shrimp balls
Look-chin pla-meuk = Squid balls
Look-chin maa = Dog balls (Hah! Gotcha there, now didn't I? Don't worry, we don't eat dogs here... at least most of us don't.)
Heh, dog balls. Now why does that sound really dirty? =X Anyways, now that I've gotten that look-chin bit all cleared up, let's continue on with our lesson, shall we?