Wednesday 10 June 2009

Daily radio brainwash...oops, briefing


Chef Maiyuu has whipped up some butternut squash (pumpkin) soup, with chicken shavings on top.

We bought the chicken the day before in Suan Phlu. Maiyuu took the leftovers and fried them, which gave them a pretty golden colour.

The soup was great, but being a person with a large appetite, I had to supplement that with another dish before bed - khao pad kra pao moo (pork with chile and basil leaves), with a fried egg on top, which I bought from a restaurant opposite our condo.

I couldn't ask Maiyuu to whip up anything for me, as his kitchen had closed for the day.

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Fancy a spot of Thai radio?

It's education radio, from the Centre for Educational Technology (ศูนย์เทคโนโลยีทางการศึกษา), which you can find at 92 FM on the dial, or here.

The presenters provide useful daily run-downs of the news in the main Thai papers, which is a highlight for me.

In the afternoons, when old folk like me like to kick back our feet, the station also runs Thai radio plays (Thai dramas or short stories narrated by a single person who adopts different character voices). Remember the old Western radio plays from last century? 

As I write this I am listening to a run-down of today's top stories, including the latest about the baby panda at Chiang Mai zoo.

For the most part, the announcers use every-day language, which makes a change from some broadcast outlets which like to talk down to people.

Listeners do encounter the occasional exception, especially where 'good news' from the government is concerned.

The panda story over, my presenters are now promoting 'serious' computer games developed by some state agency as a healthy alternative to the violent games which today's misspent youth play in internet cafes.

These include games which promote the King's sufficiency economy concept, in an agricultural setting.

Let me 'project': Farmer Sonchai walks on to field, holding a hoe. 'I don't mind being poor! It makes me feel good about life, and you can benefit too!'

Misspent youth - please form an orderly queue at this computer to receive your free copy.

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At my old condo, I listened to 92 FM over the television, as part of our subscription to the True Visions satellite TV service, which offers radio as well.

That was back in the days when we had our own dish. At our new place, we share a dish with other tenants. For some reason we can no longer pick up the station via True, perhaps because the dish is too old.

These days I shut the door of my bedroom and listen to FM 92 via the internet on my computer instead.

The boyfriend doesn't mind. He knows that if I get my daily fill of government propaganda, my personality will become oddly passive, and I will be that much easier to control.

2 comments:

  1. 8 comments:

    Lino in (still) analog NY9 June 2009 at 20:04
    That is funny...radio making you passive.

    Over here in NYC the most popular stations are overly aggressive bordering on violent in the case of rap-hip-hop. However the genre is fading..slowly. Hope it takes the ugly "sagging" pants style with it.

    But there are also intelligent talk shows and music mostly on non-commerical stations.

    As for Thai radio, I got a surprise tonight when pulling up A-Time's Hot Wave, Instead got a Google warning:http://safebrowsing.clients.google.com/safebrowsing/diagnostic?client=Firefox&hl=en-US&site=http://hot.atimemedia.com/

    Apparently someone has hacked the station's website and planted malware and viruses. I sent a message to one of my friends who works for the parent co. hopefully this will get resolved quickly. I have enjoyed Thai pop via these stations since 06, but they have often had problems with their stream.

    Your mention of radio via CATV brings back memories of the late 1960s when out building was wired. In America the FM band occupies the space between channels 6 and 7 on the VHF scale so the early cable operators included it in the mix offered. That went away in the mid seventies. BTW: This Friday (6-12) at noon all full power analog TV ceases in North America and there will be a massive reassignment of the current digital hi-def channels. People who use sat or cable will see no change but OTA (over air) will get nothing if they have not gotten a new set or converter for their older ones. 'Kind of glad I'am still here, this will be interesting.

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    kawadjan9 June 2009 at 20:34
    "The boyfriend doesn't mind. He knows that if I get my daily fill of government propaganda, my personality will become oddly passive, and I will be that much easier to control." -- Oooops.

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    Man of the Rose9 June 2009 at 21:07
    hi bkkdreamer,
    wow! your site has now turned into a delectable source of yummy creations of maiyuu!
    cheerio,
    cee

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    Bkkdreamer9 June 2009 at 21:08
    Lino: I would like to be there to witness that change-over too, especially if hundreds of TV screens were to suddenly go blank.

    Kawadjan: That remark about passivity was intended as a joke.

    Man of the Rose: Thank you. I get hungry just looking at those pics. I hope readers do, too.

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  2. Kevo3310 June 2009 at 07:01
    "The boyfriend doesn't mind. He knows that if I get my daily fill of government propaganda, my personality will become oddly passive, and I will be that much easier to control."

    LOL!
    I'm sure Maiyuu likes it when you're a push-over ;) ;P

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    Anonymous10 June 2009 at 10:54
    Hey Lino, completely agree with you about saggy baggies - the most revolting clothing ever created. I met a slender, well dressed Vietnamese boy last week and he was wearing pants tight enough to show off his beautifully shaped fun buns. Haven't seen the like for years. Once upon a time, we all used to wear them. These days you wouldn't bother looking at a boy's bum.
    Still prefer speedos to the sleek swimsuits they wear in the pool too. A beautifully sculpted body covered up. Criminal! - Ian

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    Wilko10 June 2009 at 12:37
    All of Maiyuu's creations look absolutely fabulous, sweetie!
    l love soup especially Tomarto or Stilton and Brocooollli...brocolllli...bro...that green stuff!

    lol, l've got visions of you in a trance infront of your computer and Maiyuu peeping round the door thinking 'now's the time to send him shopping for my ingredients, mwhaha The list is A4 sheet long!! he wont notice'

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    Glenn10 June 2009 at 19:20
    I have been listening online to 104.5 FAT radio during the day at my office for a few years. I like the guys who do the 1-4AM Thai time slot. It's a pair of guys who joke around and laugh a lot. Of course I have no idea what they are actually saying most of the time unless they are talking about football. I like the Thai rock/indie they play too. Unfortunately for the last two weeks or so their streaming server seems to be offline. So I am without Thai radio. :-( I have tried a couple of other stations but they are too mellow and poppy for my taste. Maybe it has to do with the time of day.

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Comments are welcome, in English or Thai (I can't read anything else). Anonymous posting is discouraged, unless you'd like to give yourself a name at the bottom of your post, so we can tell who you are.