Showing 1 - 10 of 24
No longer feeling under the weather
Roger Crutchley, Published on 12/05/2024
» Being woken up by a thunderstorm in Bangkok on Tuesday morning was a most welcome experience. I had been visibly wilting in the heat for a couple of months, but finally dear old Jupiter Pluvius came to the rescue in splendid style. Just the sound of raindrops falling on the leaves felt comforting and the thirsty birds chirped in with a chorus of thanks.
Doubtful delights of standing in line
Roger Crutchley, Published on 03/03/2024
» It is encouraging to learn that the Prime Minister is concerned about large queues at Suvarnabhumi airport, particularly at the arrivals area. We've all probably experienced that sinking feeling after stepping off the moving walkway and being faced by a definitely non-moving formidable queue. It is especially grim if you've just suffered an exhausting long-distance flight and are already feeling knackered.
Welcome to the really silly season
Oped, Roger Crutchley, Published on 24/12/2023
» It's Christmas Eve and we are well into the Jinger Ben season in Thailand (Jingle Bells to the uninitiated). But in these dodgy times one suspects there might not be too much jingling going on. Nonetheless, considering all the gloomy news of late, a couple of weeks of being a bit daft offers a welcome break. So we might as well make the most of the Jinger Ben jollity, like a lady teller at my bank who was sporting some rather cute rabbit ears.
Good chance of being caught on the hop
Oped, Roger Crutchley, Published on 22/01/2023
» To mark this weekend's Chinese New Year celebrations for Year of the Rabbit it seems appropriate to dedicate today's column to our cuddly cottontail friends, otherwise known as bunnies. Let's hope not too many of them end up in a pie or stew. As a precaution, just be careful when you order "today's special".
Words you don't really want to hear
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 04/12/2022
» It's that time of the year when publishers of major dictionaries bombard us with what they regard as the "words of the year". They rarely agree on the same offering, but there is one common theme -- nearly all words selected are frankly rather depressing.
Once upon a time there were no mobiles
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 21/08/2022
» The other day in a restaurant I watched some Thai youngsters who appeared much more interested in their smartphones than what they were eating. Their obvious phone skills made me quite envious but also just a little melancholy -- a reminder of how much things have changed since my early days, otherwise known as the Stone Age.
Bangkok still tangled up in 'sky spaghetti'
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 14/08/2022
» Earlier this week I was sitting in the customary traffic jam on Sukhumvit near Phra Khanong Bridge and found myself gazing at the tangled mess of overhead cables which have decorated Bangkok's streets for so long. It was not a pretty sight, especially dangling in front of ageing shophouses and filthy iron grilles that are not exactly a vision of splendour themselves.
Where roosters crow before daybreak
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 09/01/2022
» For the past three weeks I have been waking up to the sound of roosters, many of which sneakily start warming up their vocal chords well before dawn. With this evidence you don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to deduce that I have been in the Northeast of Thailand, or Isan. It has become a regular destination at the New Year and with the exception of the early morning calls from the chickens, it is always a pleasurable experience.
There's a whole lot of digging going on
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 23/06/2019
» This week the Bangkok Governor bravely announced that the tangled mess of overhead telecom and broadcast cables which have decorated Bangkok's streets for so long, will definitely be gone within two years. One suspects this might make him a leading candidate for the new post of Minister of Wishful Thinking.
Mutiny that sparked a bounty of films
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 28/04/2019
» Today is April 28, and out of curiosity I checked to see if anything of historical significance had taken place on this day through the ages. The answer is... not a lot.