Sneezes and Coffee

I have been, on occasion, accused of being rude because I cover up when someone sneezes around me. "Don't make them feel bad," one of my friends might say.
Well, they shouldn't make me feel bad! You know I love to roam around and enjoy a coffee in the multitude of coffee shops here in Bangkok. I enjoy writing or reading while enjoying the company of my fellow Bangkokians; however, I just wish if people were sick they would stay the hell home. What right do I have to cover up? Well what right do they have to be out in public, especially in a place of consumption, with their nasty nasal sickness.
Yesterday I dropped by one of my favorite coffee houses to grab a cup of ice coffee for the road. I love this place, in fact I finished ECHO POOL sitting in this joint -- which is why I won't bring up the name -- but my experience was ruined by the sniffles and then spray of the coffee girl there.
It was a horror for me watching the girl make my coffee, her fingers glistening from some mucus as she went about scooping, pressing, and poring, and then I heard the sniffley raspy sounds of her trying to contain and restrain her bodily fluids. But I tried to act friendly and calm. Then, just as she finished the drink she dropped down, in an effort not to sneeze in my drink, and let out a blast of sinus fluids into her hands. She had succeeded in missing my drink and it was very nice of her to put in such effort. Feeling relieved I glanced over at a beautiful young lady entering the coffee house, but when I looked back I realized she had fished her mucus infected fingers into the bowl where the straws were and jabbed a contaminated straw into my drink.
"Fifty five baht."
I paid her. I stayed silent. I felt sick to my stomach at the thought of the straw being jammed, no doubt contaminated, into my drink. I took the drink, walked into the parking lot, found the first trash can I could find, and tossed it away without a sip.
Should I really have drank it?
Come on food workers, I know you need your pay, but if you're sick could you please just STAY HOME and get better! Don't prove yourself the dedicated employee and spread your illness to everyone you serve.

Holiday Gift Direct to YOU

The holiday GIFT giving time of year is upon us. If you are giving Honica gifts, Christmas gifts, New Years gifts, or just good will presents, there is no hotter item out there than the gift of a good quality read. So http://www.siminoe.com/ has decided to make it easy for you to get a copy of Echo Pool sent DIRECTLY to your loved on. Simply click here http://fiction.siminoe.com-a.googlepages.com/echopoolpurchasepage and make your payment, and we will send you a copy of Echo Pool directly from Bangkok within 24 hours of your order. This copy can be signed by the author and it can have a small note written in the book telling the recipient exactly who wanted them to have it. A truly ONE OF A KIND GIFT for this magical time of year. Don't worry, it should arrive in plenty of time for the holidays and what a surprise the recipient will receive when they pull this wonderful novel out of their mailbox. Allow about 5 days for it to arrive. So support Jonathon Siminoe's literary effort, while making the holiday season for one of your friends or family members. ECHO POOL, so you can remember as well.

Thailand FIRE SHOW

Fire shows certainly do not originate from Thailand, but they are becoming very popular. I really enjoyed this one in the misty mountains to the East of Bangkok. It was a great show on a cool, well cool for Thailand so like 80 degrees, evening up out of the city. Key to happiness in working in Bangkok -- GET OUT OF BANGKOK ON THE WEEKENDS and BREATH!

Fashion is in Fashion

My school here in Bangkok has a very creative feel to the place. I really love working here because it allows students to try new things and creative ideas. This video was created at Satit Kaset International Progam. The models are both students and teachers. The designs were from both students and our art teacher!

Henry Miller Rocks

Yo, this is HENRY MILLER and he was a writer who lived to write and wrote to express life. I have always really loved his work. I guess as a teacher of writing and a writer myself, I am often thinking about the process of writing. What is really important? What is really quality? What is from the heart and what is produced from the brains ability to form and craft.

I think Henry was a man who had the carnal nature which drove him, selfishly, to chase the things which made him happy. He was a man obsessed with the moment -- the great one -- the human ones. And in this obsession he found brilliance.

Students often ask me, "how can I become a better writer." The answer is simple. "Read and write more often! Then LIVE and find stories to write about by living."

I know ECHO POOL is primarily autobiographical, as I practice what I preach and write about what I know and what I have experienced. I think I learned a great deal of this philosophy from Henry.

If you want to learn about his life, travels, and loves, check out this film! Then READ HIS WORK! Click the title for a link to this film and how to see it. I promise you'll see a side to a writer that you aren't expecting!