There is always a way. Keep it cool

This past one week, had been a bit of a rush with a busy schedule and a lot of fire fighting (crisis management).
And as the fire seems to be growing, or magically apprearing at different places at different times, it tends to have that effect of driving people up the wall.
But as time goes by, I have come to realise that the most important thing in any tense / critical situation is keeping your cool.
Having a sense of calm, relects that the person has control of the situation. It also shows that the person may have actually "been there and done that" (even though that may not be the case)
Flipping out on a situation does not really bring a resolution.
Most of the time it brings out a negative effect such as people would not want to hang out with you after that due to the fact that people do not like to hang out with angry people.

Opium Production in Afgahnistan in the news

Today, as I was browsing Reuters,I came across a very interesting article which stated that "Disease cut the amount of opium produced in Afghanistan in 2010 by almost half from a year earlier, the United Nations said Thursday."
Which basically means that the harvest of Opium had gone down by 50% because of an unidentified disease that decimated crops in areas that grows most opium.

When I see this, it makes me think - Maybe the organisations which have a "War on drugs" (With the aim of reducing drug use) should work with some chemical engineers who can be able to produce diseases, which specifically kill the Opium Plants?

Beer Girl

The other day there was a food fair in my college. In the fair there were a lot of stalls which sold different types of food.
There was one stall which sold beer. Before the night was over, that stall sold out all the beer.
Considering the fact that the climate was chilly and there were 2 other stalls close by which also sold beer at similar prices, I was quiet impressed that this shop sold out well in advance.

What is the secret? Why is it that they sold out their stock well in advance of their competitors?
The answer is that they had beautiful girls selling beers.

That's right. You want to be successful at selling beer to men?
Make a beautiful girl sell it to them.
It is very rare, (with great amount of constraint) that a guy can turn down a beautiful girl when she smiles at him, asking him to buy beer.
Is it because these girls put a magic spell on the guy, to make him buy the beer?
Is it because of peer pressure?

No. The real reason why men find it very hard to turn down a beautiful girl when she sell beer to him is because of his " EGO "
His Ego will not allow him to say no. A man does not like to look bad in front of his opposite sex.
He is paranoid of the perception he would create to the woman when he turns her down. Perceptions such as being weak, poor, not manly, not interesting, etc.

It is very interesting to note that majority of the men (at the time of sale) does not buy the beer for the beer, but more for the girl.

Amazing Thailand

What is it about Thailand, that makes people fall in love with it ? Why is it that people prefer to keep coming back to Thailand whenever they can ? (Lets keep aside the sex tourism industry which is definitely a major pull. But there has to be other factors which make Thailand one of the most favourable tourist destination in the world )

It has been a year since I have been here, and I still love it here.

1) Thailand - The Land of Smiles. And it literally is. Try this social experiment out. (I have tried it out many times) If you make eye contact with a Thai person, give them a smile. 80% probability, the smile is returned back to you.

(When compared to my life back in India or Dubai, the probability drastically reduces. At one time in Dubai, somebody asked my why I smiled at them. )

This takes you to the next question, why is it that the smiles are returned to you in Thailand ?

On asking some of my Thai friends about this, they say that smiling back is a part of the Thai culture. It is even taught in school. While greeting a person, a smile is compulsory. If a person, does not smile, it is considered that they are angry with you.

And if a smile is not returned, it is considered rude in Thailand.

2) An Escape from Reality - Yup. That's right. Making a short trip to any of the beautiful islands in Thailand is an escape from reality in its true sense. The Beauty of the islands is heavenly. Interacting with people who speak a different language and have a different culture is defiantly a learning experience. you feel like you are in a new world.

3) Cleanliness - Thailand is clean. Possibly due to the effective municipality. But it is seldom that I have seen uncleanliness on the streets.

4) Great Food - Thailand offers some of the best cuisines from all over the world. There are Arabic, German, French , Indian, Japanese, Chinese, etc. And it is not that fake crap you receive from the so called "authentic restaurants". Whether it is the road side food, to the high end stuff, the food is excellent - "tres bien" - I say it in french, because it is that good !!

5) Price - Its cheap. Good Food, great scenery, travelling. very affordable. A definite value for money. And the accessibility for travelling is quiet good and affordable too.

6) The People - The people are very hospitable, very polite and they have a helping mentality. The best part about the Thai people are, while communicating with them in English, if they do not understand you, they make an attempt to understand you. This is a trait which reduces the hurdle of the language barrier in Thailand.

Personally, I think it is the people of Thailand which can be considered as Thailand's strongest assets, when it comes to making a tourist feel welcome. (As the locals interact with the tourists, they are the ones who are directly responsible in creating a pleasant experience for the tourists).

I feel that without the hospitality of the people, no tourists will ever feel welcome to visit the country.

Thailand does not make their tourist income from the people who visit the country for the first time. They make their tourist income because people keep coming back.

Open to Questions

Hi All,

If any of you have any questions about Thailand or any type of doubts about Thailand, please drop me an email - matzmajestic@hotmail.com

Cheers

Caution

Hear Ye .. hear Ye !!!

Beware of the laws in Thailand...

Unlike the US where it is ok to insult the president or burn the US flag,

In Thailand insulting the king is a serious offence.

An Australian author and former university lecturer (Nicolaides) has begun serving a three-year prison sentence after being convicted yesterday of lese majeste in a novel written more than three years ago.

"He has written a book that slandered the King, the Crown Prince of Thailand and the monarchy," the judge said

"He was found guilty under article 112 of the Criminal Law," the judge said

Before the hearing, Nicolaides told reporters in a tearful voice: "I was aware there were obscure laws [about the monarchy] but I didn't think they would apply to me.
"I would like to apologise. This can't be real. It feels like a bad dream."
Nicolaides said he had "unqualified respect for the King of Thailand" and had not intended to insult him.
He broke into tears upon hearing the verdict and emerging from the court to meet friends who arrived at the court to give him moral support.
A gaunt-looking Nicolaides - who has been in custody for nearly five months - told reporters as he left the court he felt "dreadful", adding: "I wish my family the best."

Read the whole story here -

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/135939/academic-charged-for-royal-insult

Suvarnabhumi Airport - Thailand (Part 3)

There is a lot more information which I would like to add, but unfortunately, I have forgotten a lot...

But my overall rating for the Airport would be a 9 out of 10.

Taking into account the speed of checking out, the cleanliness, the security, the hospitable staff, the no. of restaurants and the other facilities.

A word to the wise -

1) The best place to exchange your money is the Airport- You get the best rates over there

2) The Suvarnabhumi Airport does not have Exchange counter for Indian rupees and UAE Dhirams. - To get that money exchanged , there is a place called SIAM Paragon in Bangkok. You can get the money exchanged from there

3) Don't do anything stupid like to steal a chocolate from a shop or something - There are cameras everywhere. If they catch you, they shave your head and take a photo of you . You will be black listed.

Suvarnabhumi Airport - Thailand (Part 2)

Ok .. Now to address another important issue - The Security

I saw quiet a few uniformed officers, who looked like 100 meters sprinters and then I saw another officer who looked like the perfect guy to play the role of Rambo.

(This is quiet reassuring .. You get the sense that these guys are prepared for any type action)

This sight is quiet inspiring, when you compare them to the unfit nitwit security we have back in India, where we have the so called security waving their guns around, giving everybody suspicious looks and trying to act intelligent..

(I just pray that these guys do not ever have to get into action, for the fear of the sheer mess they would make out of things .. )

As I take a walk around the Airport, There are many limousine services to take people around town. I ask them the cost of taking me to Pathumthani (40 Kms from Bangkok) 1000 Bahts...

The tariffs within Bangkok are around 600 Bahts for 6 hrs rent and then it increased even further at more time taken ...

As I sit back to pass the time, I am approached by this total stranger, who identifies himself as an Airport official and enquires if I would need any assistance or anything.. Damn nice of him ..

On further exploration I see that there are counters for mobile services - I pick up true move . They explain everything briefly and provide a pamphlet with all information.

FYI - If you ever want to call an international No. you would have to Dial 006 followed by the code.

With Regard to the Restaurants - I saw the coffee shop which is the most, recognisable Brand in the world - Starbucks !!! ( Man, it is expensive here as well)

There were so many restaurants in the Airport equipped to meet any budget. Yup, there is a small place in the center of the Food court where you could buy fried chicken for 20 Bahts.

There were 2-3 Japanese Restaurants which had the sushi Burger (180 Bahts) .. I should make it a point to eat something from there the next time ...

Then, the first blast of Thai Culture Hit me.

I am walking towards the exit with my luggage when I saw the a particular part of the Airport allocated for Taxi Drivers. there were a few men and Women. Yes !!!!! I mean Women Taxi Drivers... Unbelievable. The first time ever where I ever saw proper equality between Men and Women being practiced. (Unlike India and Dubai as well , where they try to portray this feature, but it is never really implemented.)

And the best part about these Taxi Drivers are that they all wear blazers and are well groomed. They do not try and haggle you.

If you tell them a "No" once, they will not ask again.

(This is a big relief when compared to the taxi guys back home.. You got to literally pay these guys to stop pestering you .. )

There was a police Station in the Airport where I saw equal no. of men and women working side by side with each other. This aspect about the Thai Culture had me really thinking about the level of maturity that is shared within the people.

And as you leave the Airport there are free Maps of Thailand available for all ...

The Suvarnabhumi Airport - Thailand (Part1)

Hi All,

I know it is a bit late to start off.. But better late than never ....

Ok .. here it goes ...

Suvarnabhumi Airport is one of the biggest Airports I have ever been to....

I am not referring to the size of the Airport Building alone, But the overall area of the Airport...

When the flight landed, we were boarded on this Battery operated Bus ... and within 4-5 mins we had reached the Airport... (Yup .. the planes are parked quiet far from the Airport, So you can understand the size of the entire Air Strip)

The first thing I saw was a guy who looked like a girl... hehehehe

(Yes Christine .. You were right after all :) )

So, I got into this huge Airport wondering what to do.. where to go .. there were so much of counters, and it looked really confusing ... But it was not much trouble as there was information written both in Thai and in English.

The Airport staff are very hospitable and friendly..

I go to the information center (Just to be sure I am going the right way) and they take a look at the ticket and accordingly guide me to the correct area for collecting my bags.

When I reach the conveyor belt to collect my bags, it took 2 mins for my bags to come ( Quiet fast)

The Whole process of Getting out of the plane, passing through the immigration, collecting the bags and checking out .. took me around 20 mins ... (Damn Fast)

As I had 3 hrs to kill, I decided to take a trip around the Airport..

A little bit more about the Airport ...

The entire Airport is 5 storeys...

One Floor for Arrivals , Another one for Departures , One floor for restaurant and duty Free , One floor for people to board Buses and taxies and there is another one which seems to be heading underground .. From the looks of it, maybe a potential Underground Subway.

The External Walls of the Airport is of glass, the whole 5 floors, (Yup, you can have a nice view of the outside world in the Airport itself)

Each floor has a connect with the adjacent buliding which is basically a Parking lot for vechicles. The Airport looks very organised and clean.

To be continued ....