Google's logo for Beijing Olympics 2008

The picture below is the Beijing Olympics 2008 logo displayed on top of Google's Search page. It uses the colorful Olympic rings in substitute for the 'oo' in Google. Fuwa, the Official Mascots of Olympics 2008, are seen marching with the Olympics flag while Huanhuan the Olympic Flame mascot bears the Olympic torch. The background consists of Chinese zodiac sign boards and the spectators behind it.

Looks cute and colorful.



Only 3 hours to go for the Olympics opening ceremony celebrations!

The Mascot (Fuwa) introductions:

Beibei - the Fish
Jingjing - the Panda
Huanhuan - the Olympic Flame
Yingying - the Tibetan Antelope
Nini - the Swallow

Don't Drive While Sleepy Campaign Sticker

This is a picture of Thai Health Promotion Foundation's media campaign sticker to prevent traffic accidents. It says "ตั้งสติก่อนสตาร์ท ง่วงไม่ขับ" in Thai which means "Compose yourself before you start, don't drive when sleepy".



On 20th June 2007, Sornram Theppitak, a famous Thai actor killed a garbage collector in a car crash in Bangkok. He was driving a black BMW 525i and crashed into Pitploen Takoanma, a 59 year old woman near a telephone booth in Lad Prao district at 11 pm. The actor who had not consumed any alcohol that night had some minor facial injuries and a witness said the actor claimed he had dozed off at the wheel.

Traffic accidents are one of the leading causes of death in Thailand. In 2002 every tenth citizen of Thailand was injured in traffic. According to an ADB-ASEAN report released in March 2004, the average economic cost of death caused by one traffic accident is about 2.85 million Baht. In addition, there is also the inestimable psychological damage caused. The Thai government is highly concerned about its road crash problem which costs the country nearly 2.1 % of GDP. The Thailand Road Safety Master Plan identified the need for establishing an accident research center as a priority in its long-term action plan. The idea became a reality with the establishment of Thailand Accident Research Center (TARC) in 2003. This is the national center for collecting scientific information about the road crash. It conducts accident investigation and reconstruction, road safety audit, research studies both on primary and secondary accident data. The ‘Thailand Road Safety Action Plan 2004-2008’ agreed by cabinet currently guides road safety interventions in Thailand.



According to official statistics (police), 12,858 people were killed in road crashes in 2005. However the real number might even be higher. According to documentation from the health sector, the real death toll could be 20,000 or higher if victims who die after being removed from the crash scene are included.

The primary causes of road crashes are the dangerous mix of motorcyclists and larger vehicles, alcohol impaired driving, and excessive speed. Many road deaths happen during the two national holidays periods: New Year (6 days) December/January and Songkran (9 days) in April. It is estimated that 3 people died per hour during these 2 festivals.

In 2005 the road fatality rate were 20.6/105 population and 5.09/104 vehicles. The fatality rate has decreased by 23% over the last decade from 1995 to 2005 (16,727 to 12,858) and by 11% just the last two years from 2003 to 2005 (14,446 to 12,858) showing that the increased effort from all sectors has been proven effective.

According to Thailand’s crash records, the main features of Thailand’s road crash and injury problems are:

• The working adult age group (25-59 years) represents the majority of those dying in road crashes (over 50%) followed by young people aged 15-24 years who account for 29% of the total fatalities.
• Many deaths occur during 2 holiday periods, New Year and Songkran.
• 45% of deaths in 2004 occurred on the national highways, half of them involving motorcycles
• 44% of the total number of road crash injuries in Thailand occur in Bangkok compared with only 6% of the country’s fatalities
• In average less than 17% of all injured used seat belts and less than 15% used crash helmets. Numbers are higher in Bangkok where enforcement is stricter
• Of all injuries: 75% are male
• The Police identified excessive speed as the most common cause of crashes followed by unsafe passing and illegal overtaking
• In Khon Kaen Province (Northern Thailand), 81 % of total injured patients admitted to hospitals in 2002 were motorcycle injury victims. It is believed that this is likely to reflect the situation in other provinces too
• Hospital data indicates that over half of injured drivers and riders had been drinking alcohol

While the actual statistics should be treated with caution due to possible under-reporting, analysis indicate the primary causes of road crashes to be excessive speed involving mixed traffic (also vulnerable road users), drunk driving, dangerous overtaking and the poor use of helmets.

Angelina Jolie flashes her tattoos in Wanted

Actress Angelina Jolie flashes her back to display her tattoos in a scene from the movie Wanted. She got the tiger tattoo on her lower back by a well-known local Thai tattoo artist named Sompong Kanphai during her visit to Bangkok on July 8, 2004, just after her 2 day visit to Cambodia.

In the photo below Angelina Jolie flashes her tattoos in a scene from Wanted.



The tattoo design features a snarling Bengal tiger baring its teeth and claws which represents good luck, power and good fortune. Jolie spent more than 2 hours in getting the 8 inch wide by 12 inch long tiger tattooed on her lower back, where the skin is usually thicker. Sompong used the traditional method of flicking a long ink filled needle into the surface of the skin.



It was Angelina's second tattoo by artist Somphong Kanphai, who in April 2003 applied a Khmer tattoo featuring ancient script from Cambodia, meant to ward off bad luck. Sompong reportedly chanted an ancient hymn to bless the latest tiger tattoo so that its bearer would be rich and filled with power. Jolie flew back to Bangkok unannounced on a private jet from Cambodia with her Cambodian son Maddox, especially to get the latest tattoo because the first one made by the same artist made her feel that her life was filled with luck.







Below is a photo of the Cambodian Khmer tattoo

HancocK Eyes Bangkok Billboard & Review

This is the billboard of Hancock movie at BTS which says "HancocK Eyes Bangkok", a good play on words that rhyme pretty nicely.

I watched the movie yesterday evening at Central World SFX Cinema, a day before the official release since it was a special screening for winners of KBank's ATM SIM promotion in which I won 2 free tickets! I think the trailer of this movie was really cool, but the movie was great only in the first half, the second half was just sort of OK not as good as expected. Will Smith plays a superhero who can fly and doesn't get hurt by bullets but whiskey gives him hangovers, and he does not have any friends at all. It could have been made more interesting if Hancock had some friends, hobbies, or some toys to play with. I would rate this movie at 3 out of 5 stars.

Checkout the poster above, Hancock has this look with deep concentration and the left-side of his lips slightly lifted.

Thai Toilet Safety Warning in Tinglish

I took photos of this humorous Tinglish Thai toilet warning sign at The Mall department store last Saturday that says "For your safety, do not step on the toilet seat!". It also says "Misusage can be injured." in the next line. This is the management's way of preventing ignorant people that squat by standing on the toilet seat cover.

Thai Mime Artists performing on stage

Here are photos of some Thai Mime Artists performing on stage.

Hippo Tattoo Picture Collection

Here are some pictures of hippo tattoos. The Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), from the Greek ἱπποπόταμος (hippopotamos, hippos meaning "horse" and potamos meaning "river"), often shortened to "hippo", is a large mostly plant-eating African mammal. The hippos are better known for wallowing in swamps rather than their surfing skills.

The smiling happy hippo with eyes closed


The shy & cute hippo


The angel hippo


Hippo with hearts


The wide mouthed hippo staring at a butterfly

UEFA Euro 2008 Logo - UEFA European Football Championship

This is the logo of the 13th edition of the UEFA European Football Championship, called the Euro 2008 logo. The logo has been launched exactly three years before the opening game. The logo was unveiled at a ceremony at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria. The UEFA European Football Championship 2008 brand has been produced by design and branding company English & Pockett. The London-based consultancy was appointed to the project last year. The UEFA EURO 2008™ brand comprises a variety of logo formats, a visual identity made of six individual and collective graphic icons, including three dimensional perspectives. The visual identity is produced in ten different color palettes.

The UEFA European Football Championship is a quadrennial soccer tournament played among European nations. The tournament began on 7th June 2008 and is being jointly hosted by Austria and Switzerland this time, with the final which is to be played at Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna on 29 June 2008.

Source: UEFA Euro 2008 Official Website

Cock fight sign at Chatuchak Weekend Market

Here's a signboard that says "Fighting Cocks and Birds" in a small section of the Chatuchak Weekend Market, Bangkok where some of the finest and toughest cocks used to fight one another, while being cheered by some serious and amused spectators.



Cock Fighting is an ancient sport in Thailand which was said to be popular since Ayutthaya was the capital of the Thai Kingdom of Siam.

After the Bird Flu Outbreak in Thailand a few years ago Thailand imposed tough restrictions on the transport of fighting cocks, which travel around the country for their matches. The birds were given their own passports with a photo, certifying that they were healthy. But after the resurgence of bird flu in 2005, authorities banned cock fighting altogether, which drew strong protests from cock owners whose businesses suffered.

Traditional Thai Tattoo & 2nd World Tattoo Arts Fesitval 2008, Pattaya

This Thai-style mermaid Tattoo by Jimmy Wong is very beautiful and vibrant. Jimmy Wong is a very famous artist for doing these kind of tattoos. Jimmy started to tattoo during the Vietnam War in the early 1970s on the border of Thailand and Laos outside a US airbase in Nakhon Phanom, Thailand. The Wong family tattoos a mixture of western and Asian designs and have a deep understanding about Thai tattoo history and he has passed this knowledge on to his children. You can check out his website at www.jimmywongtattoo.com

The above Tattoo picture set can be found at this Flickr Pool.



The 2nd World Tattoo Arts Festival & Exhibition 2008 by Jimmy Wong will be held at Pattaya Beach, Thailand on 16-17-18 May 2008, during which "World Class Tattoo Artists" are going to showcase their amazing tattooing talents.

Google's Earth Day 2008 logo

This is the logo as seen on http://www.google.com on 22nd April 2008 which is Earth Day. Google wants educators to Celebrate Earth Day in the classroom using Google Earth, Maps, and SketchUp. Google wants us to help in reducing pollution by planning our trip using public transportation on Google Transit.



Sadly, Bangkok is not in the Google Transit list yet.

Mural wall paintings at Wat Phra Kaew, Bangkok

An artist restores the mural wall paintings at Wat Phra Kaew, Bangkok by repainting on the original mural.



The murals inside tell the Ramayana epic in its entirety. On the columns of the balcony are stone inscriptions of the verses describing the murals. Each gate of the Balcony is guarded by the five-metre tall Yaksa Tavarnbal (Gate-keeping Giants), the characters taken from Ramayana.



Wat Phra Kaew or Temple of the Emerald Buddha is one of the most visited sites in Bangkok. Officially known as Wat Phra Sri Rattana Satsadaram it is regarded as the most important Buddhist temple in Thailand. Located in the historic centre of Bangkok, within the grounds of the Grand Palace, it enshrines Phra Kaew Morakot (the Emerald Buddha), the highly revered Buddha image meticulously carved from a single block of jade. The Emerald Buddha (Phra Putta Maha Mani Ratana Patimakorn) is a Buddha image in the meditating position in the Lanna style of the north, dating from the 15th century AD.

No Hawking Sign