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I just had a great time at Thaiwaii Bar & Restaurant on Soi 80 in Hua Hin.

The food is awesome and the company very nice.

Recommend the place to anyone who comes to Hua Hin or lives here

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Ok, I think having that HIV post as the first thing to read from me this year is not the message I want to bring across at all. So, I guess it is time to do a bit of a review of the last year, which was VERY eventful.

In January, I was working on a new business venture together with a friend of mine. It is a software which makes it possible to download and watch Internet TV/Video Streams with a slow connection – a great tool for people living in Thailand as the Internet here is in general pretty slow and unstable. However, there were a few people determined to ruin our business, and we (he) ended up getting tired of constantly having people trying to ruin things for us. In the same time my partner got involved into a new business which took his attention off our project, and he was the one who was supposed to do the marketing – you know I am not a good sales person – I am the geek behind the computer.

So, back I was doing website work for others, but because I was planning on doing the business with my friend, I had no work lined up. I went flat broke, which is a horrific thing to be when having a toddler to feed. To save money we moved out of our beautiful rental home into a… dumb. It’s probably the worst place I have ever lived in, and I have lived without electricity or running water before… this was just horrible. We had wet walls from all the rainfall, and having a baby that is really dangerous, as babies are easy to develop asthma in those conditions.

My friend, the one who started that new business that took all his time and attention from our project, came over just two month after moving, and asked me why I don’t buy a house? I think I gave him a pretty sarcastic look, and said something like: Even if I had the money to buy a house, I would not buy something in Hua Hin, as the prices are just way too high compared to other areas (country side). Just as an example, in Hua Hin 1 rai (1,600 square meter) costs at least 2million Thai Baht, while it costs about 20,000 Thai Baht where Wan’s family lives… anyways, he then said: what about if you would only have to pay 10,000 Baht a month for 15 years (lease purchase agreement) for a 3 bed room house with a swimming pool, would you then buy a house? OF COURSE! I said, I pay 8,000 for this hell hole I am living in right now! So he said, ok, let’s meet tomorrow and I show you the house! The houses are a little out of town (13km) in an area called Khao Tao (Turtle Mountain), which happens to be one of my favorite places to go to the beach. There were a few more houses for sale under the same conditions and they were really nice, so I asked him if I could also take 2 houses… of course I could, but I had to move quick. Of course at that stage I could and would not take 2 houses, as that would put me at a monthly cost higher than the house I had to move out of due to being low on cash. So I had to come up with some plan, and as things happen to play out, I was offered a full time job working as a webmaster. The pay was good enough to be able to pay both houses and live on a small budget if I had to, but of course I was planning to rent out the 2nd house. With that job in hand, I went directly to sign the papers and got me those houses.

At the end of the first month of my new job my boss came to me saying: I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is, you get half your salary, the bad news is you got to wait for the 2nd half. This of course meant big trouble for me, as I had to make the payments on the house AND I needed money to live. The deal with the houses is, that if I default on 2 consecutive monthly payments, all money paid will be seen as rent and I lose all rights to ever own the houses. So, I HAD to pay for the houses, leaving me with a few Baht to my name. I bet you can guess how that made me feel, so I told my boss that I did not take this job because I love it, I took it because I wanted stability in my life and this situation is just unacceptable for me, and IF this should happen again I will have to quit. So, the next month comes along and the unthinkable happens, I didn’t get my salary again, and I didn’t even get half of the salary – I got NOTHING! I cannot even put in words how that made me feel.

I talked to a friend of mine for whom I had done web work before, and as it happened to be he had a lot of work for me to do. He sent me the money to sort out my house payments and leave enough money for my wife to live, as well as money for a flight ticket to come up to Chiang Mai and work with him. I can not even imagine how things would have turned out if it weren’t for my friend. While being in Chiang Mai I got a few phone calls from my “ex-” boss asking me to come back. The work I had done for them had increased inquiries though their website a lot and he wanted me to continue upgrading their site to it’s full potential. I was promised that they got the financial situation under control, so I finished the first part of what my friend needed me to do and came back to Hua Hin, just to be told they still can’t pay me last months salary but want me to continue. I honestly didn’t know what to think of this situation, however after the “meeting” I walked out of the office, called my friend in Chiang Mai, and flew straight back there to continue working with him.

After I returned from Chiang Mai, I starting working on some website projects I had been offered and moved into the new house. It was an exciting time, and even though there were quite a few things wrong with the house that needed to be rectified by the developer, I was really happy to finally be able to say I live in my own four walls. At that time I got a phone call from a guy (now friend) who I helped before getting his laptop working again (Thanks David!) and I told him about the houses and that I wanted to rent one out. As it happened to be, he was looking for a place to rent, and I think he fell in love with the place the moment he saw it. He wants to live in the house for the rest of his life he said… it almost sounded to good to be true. As of November, he is now my neighbor, and the first thing he did is to create a FANTASTIC garden, with huge (palm-)trees and a koi fish pond that curves around one corner of the house with a waterfall and underwater lights and the hole shebang. I actually envy him… if I were a bad person, I’d probably kick him out now! hehehe

Over the years of doing websites, I have created a little side business for hosting and domain name registration. At the end of 2009 I decided to turn this into a real business. I setup a complete system where people can order their web hosting and pay online via credit card or paypal etc, and the hosting is being setup automatically after the payment has been received. I created many different hosting packages to serve everyone’s need, and soon people will also be able to register domains on the fly via this service. Have a look: Affordable Web Hosting

Right before New Years I finally was back to the financial situation I was in at the beginning of the year, but this time with enough jobs lined up for the coming months to not having to worry about where to get the money to pay for the houses and buy food.

I have had quite a few people ask me how I can live like this, being constantly in the edge of being broke… all I can say is that I can live with it quite well as long as I know that I got friends who will save me should I be in danger of falling over, or catch me if I did fall over the edge.

So… I hope this explains a bit why I haven’t found the time or energy to update my homepage.
I wish all of you a wonderful 2010 with lots of fun and success with whatever you are doing.

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Today is Wan’s Birthday!

I knew it is on the 2nd, but for some reason I thought it is actually Monday! That really screwed up all the plans I had or was trying to make…

The day, however, was totally screwed up thanks to her youngest brother (17 years), who was out late last night. He came back home around 2am to get an ATM card, took (stole)  money out of it and as of right now has disappeared. So, instead of enjoying her B-day, Wan was half worried half mad about her brother and was not even willing to leave the house because she was worried he might come back home in the meantime and may just get some stuff to be gone for even longer.

What makes things even worse. he got Wan’s scooter (which I hope he hasn’t pawned yet), so she it pretty much immobilized until he returns it. I don’t know if you know, but a Thai without a motorbike, that’s like me without a computer.

Anyways. this is one of the days you just wish would be over and done with and it’s too bad this is Wan’s birthday. At least it gives me a chance to come up with something really nice for her to make up for this day and show how much I love her.

Feel free to comment

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Hi there,

most people who know me are aware of the fact that I am an Atheist – I do not believe in any god. Sorry for using my freedom of speech, but I have to say that think it is stupid to believe in a god, I hope religious people can tolerate my opinion on this as much as I can tolerate when they tell me I will go to hell for saying that.

Ok, now… I have been a follower of two of the greatest Atheist (in my opinion) that have made it their mission to inform people of their (non-)believes through the Internet.

1. Pat Condell
Pat is a 59 year old Englishman from London, who has produced many videos where he is ranting about Christianity and Islam, as well as complaining about the fact that religion is interfering with our politics and freedoms. He used to do stand-up comedy, so his videos are not only well spoken but also amusing.

Have a look at his website, his youtube channel, his blib.tv channel, his myspace page, his facebook account, and last bot not least his LiveLeak videos.Should you start liking him so much that you feel like showing your support in public, then have a look at this.

2. Edward Current
Ed is an excellent comedian and Atheist from the US of A, in fact he is so good at it he even makes Christians that watch his videos believe he is a Christian! If you don’t know him or haven’t already heard from him, I strongly suggest you have a look at his youtube channel. I’ve had a lot of fun watching his videos, and even more fun reading the comments… it is unbelievable how simple minded some people can be to not catch his sarcasm and think he is actually being for real in his videos. What I admire about Ed the most though is him actually actively reading the Bible, something that I neither have the will nor the time for. There has been so many times where I simply could not argue with/against a Christian simply because they were quoting the bible and I can’t.

So, now to the actual reason why I decided to write this post. Today I have redefined myself as being a Secular Humanist.

“Secular Humanism is a way of thinking and living that aims to bring out the best in people so that all people can have the best in life. Secular humanists reject supernatural and authoritarian beliefs. They affirm that we must take responsibility for our own lives and the communities and world in which we live. Secular humanism emphasizes reason and scientific inquiry, individual freedom and responsibility, human values and compassion, and the need for tolerance and cooperation.” – Council for Secular Humanism, USA

The National Secular Society, UK stands for a society in which everyone is free to practice their faith, change it, or not have one at all, and that our beliefs or lack of them should neither be an advantage nor a disadvantage. If I were British, this quote would make me join the British Humanist Association: “Rights, equality and human rights are for people, not religions or believes. Humanism for me is holding nothing sacred but the human being.” by Human Rights activist Maryam Namazie.

Der Bund Freireligiöser Gemeinden Deutschlands hat sich zum Ziel gesetzt, allen der religiösen und weltanschaulichen Freiheit aufgeschlossenen Menschen unter Anerkennung ihres Rechts auf selbstverantwortliches Denken und Handeln eine dogmenfreie Religionsauffassung oder freigeistige Weltanschauung in der Gemeinschaft Gleichgesinnter zu ermöglichen und weiterzuentwickeln. Ihr damit verbundenes Streben nach friedlicher Koexistenz gründet sich auf die Achtung der Menschen-würde und der Menschenrechte.

Peace!

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Robert's view of the Alps from Trimmis, Chur in Switzerland

I just heard the sad news of the death of Robert Donley from New Zealand, he died during his holiday in the Swiss Alps last week. I don’t expect you knew him, I got to know him through wild circumstances I think will be too long to explain and bore you anyways, but he was a good guy and I will miss him. We had occasional chats and from what I can tell he was a down to earth guy and we had similar interests. I am sad I never got to meet him in person, he was one of two people I really wanted to visit when I make my way to Australia and New Zealand. He will be missed by many, that is for sure!

Rest In Peace Robert!

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Today is Ben’s 1st Birthday!!!

I think we are spoiling him, or at least I cannot remember that I got a cake for my first birthday…

We had a nice little b-day party with the family, Ben’s grandma and his two uncles where here (one with gf) and also a friend with whom I watched the new Star Trek movie in my home theater later

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Hello everyone!

Today is the 30th birthday of the love of my life, my wife Wan!

So, without going into detail why I love you so much:
Happy Birthday and the best of everything Ms. Siriwan Beaumont!

xxx

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Ben is taking a nap on my lap

Our son was born in the morning of May 13th at 9:44! I have been simply to busy to write about it on my homepage. Now, Ben is a little over 2 weeks old and I must say – he’s great, I love him, I love my wife, I love my life

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Yes, I have been to this little paradise again…

My parents (dad and step-mum) came down to celebrate my 30th birthday with me. They’d asked me to find them a place like Koh Tao used to be 20 years ago, so Koh Talu it was. To be able to spend some uninterrupted time together my wife and me spent 2 days with them on Koh Talu, and I must say I was really happy to have spend those days with them.

Unfortunately this time my visit has been less satisfactory than my first visit.

Here I got to make a cut and say something I have realized about Germans (as my parents and I are…) in general: German people are usually very polite when being abroad… but dare anything being “wrong” that should be “right”… man… Germans can talk about a dirty towel for weeks! At “home” we are even “worse”, for living in one of the most advanced nations in the world, we manage to sound like starving Africans quite a lot… A German comedian said it quite well a couple of years ago: “We are only satisfied when we’ve got something to complain about” and another quote from a german musician: ” I am thankful for having the luxury to complain”. I only bring this up because since I live in Thailand I have adapted pretty much to the “mai pen rai” attitude of the Thais, and there is hardly anything that can throw me off. It sometimes amused me how my parents could talk (complain) about things I hardly even notice for such a long time.

So, now I got to do my German “thang” and let “yall” know why I didn’t have such a great time on Koh Talu as I did the first time.

1. Unmotivated staff & non-existent customer care
If I would have to give stars for the staff: last time 4 stars, this time no star. Really, if the nice old guy wouldn’t still be there trying to keep the show running with the little resouces he has, it would have been a disaster. The last time we were there, the staff were VERY friendly and always trying to make “your” stay as nice as possible. I really felt welcome. This time is was almost the opposite. Apart from the old guy who really tries to take care of the customers, there was no one willing to deal with the guests. We have had a guy simply turning his back to us, when we were asking a question. Ok, I understand by now that this person can’t speak any English and simply didn’t want to loose his face, and therefor just ran off, but for someone like “my parents” this is simply RUDE! Then a little stab in the back was the “welcome” mats that were placed in front of the doors of Thais arriving, while those were nowhere to be found in front of the doorstep of foreign guests.

2. Food shortage
For an all inclusive deal it is unthinkable that someone would not have enough to eat. This is absolutely outrageous in my point of view. My parents spent 4 days and 3 nights on the island, my wife and me were only there during their 2nd night. They told us about the nice food you get but that there is not enough, and that the people would circle the buffet like vultures waiting for the food trays to be dropped. I thought they were over exaggerating, but it turned out to be true.

3. Dirty beach
For advertising a “eco tour” the beaches look like a waste dump. Trash all over the beach, and no one there to clean it.

4. Deadly activities
Last visit I took a little kayak trip with my wife. As I mentioned before it is FREE, so we went to the beach and the guy there gave us some life vests and paddles and prepped a kayak for us, it was great. Now this time… no staff at all on the beach, no life vests either, we graped a kayak and took of ourselves. My dad and me got about 100 meters away from the beach when the kayak started sinking, once we rescued this…titanic we found out there was a big crack in the bottom of it, it really was a titanic. A little later we saw a guy going out with 2 kids at the age of maybe 4-5 (all without life vests) on another kayak… I was just wondering how this would have ended if they would have chosen ours.

Well… there also was the waste dump which evidently produces swarms of flies on a regular basis, an amazing music selection of 5 CDs at the(only) beach bar, and what else… to put it all together I must say, this trip was not as nice I had imagined it to be. Still, I enjoyed Koh Talu, and if the trip would have cost half the price, I would not even consider to complain about anything. I was VERY happy to see my dad and my step-mum and to be on Koh Talu once again.

I hope the owner of Koh Talu gets to read this, then kicks his staff’s butt and hires some extra staff that speaks English!

And if he does read it, here’s an idea: how about a little “Spa & Massage” area? Would be nice, both for the visitors and the cash register

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What I do with this day is important, because I have exchanged a day of my life for it.

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