My $63 Cheap Ass Chinese Cell Phone

One of the benefits of being in Asia is that I am close to a lot of technology that lands here before it gets to the West, sometimes these products are not even available in the West due to 'intellectual property disputes' shall we say.

So when the local IT centre had a sale on the other week I popped in and checked out the phone for us$63, looking at the box there were a lot of functions (TV, Radio, MP3, Dual SIM card) AND they were giving a 2Gb memory upgrade to go with it.

It didn't take long to get in line.... 

Eat Dog Meat

Eat dog meat - Would you do it?

Eating dog has been a part of many cultures for hundreds, even thousands of years. If you were starving, not 'starving' in the Western sense of the word (hungry), but starving in the real sense of the word (as in you are going to die) and Fido was sitting in the corner chewing a bone he'd buried last year. Wouldn't you be looking at Fido and seeing a big lump of delicious, life saving, dog meat? Dog meat, sorry Fido, would be straight in the pot.

And so there I was sitting in a Chinese restaurant in Northern China, filming in the Hindi movie Chandni Chowk To China and I was handed the menu - Dog Meat - right there on the menu. The Chinese lady says to me "Do you eat dog?" with a sly smile knowing Westerners don't eat dog.

Here I took a photo of the menu with dog meat, I didn't take a photo of the dog meat, but I did take a pic of the menu... 

Conan And Friends Catch Armed Robber

A couple of months ago we had an armed robber hold the girl in the apartment next to mine at gun point and try to rob her. She screamed, which awoke me and alerted some other residents.

As soon as I heard the scream  I jumped up out of bed, ran to the door and heard Ski, the apartment owner call "Stop him." I knew something was up.

Dressed only in red boardshorts I raced dopwnstairs to find a Thai guy struggling with one Thai resident and Ski, the American owner helping. I pushed them both out of the way and... 

Conan The Vigilante Bringer Of Justice

New movie?

No, just my ordinary everyday life. On top of catching the armed burglar at our apartment the other week, this week I foiled though did not apprehend, a rapist....

Personal Training Pattaya

Ever considered getting a Personal Trainer when you next vacation in Pattaya?

Ever wish you could be trained by the regionally famous actor Conan Stevens himself?

Well now you can.... well in fact you can get better. Instead of offering Personal Training in Pattaya how would you like to train WITH me doing MY workout for the duration of your holiday. You'll also get the chance to eat with me (exciting isn't it) and I'll go into detail as to what you should/can eat and why.

My credentials? Well over 300lbs of muscle with a six pack says that I know what I am doing, 22 years in the gym, previously accredited as a personal trainer in Australia

Most Muscular 7 Foot Tall Actor 

All the while though keeping in mind that you are on holiday so allowances will be made for you to enjoy your time in Pattaya.... 

Thailand: Civil Unrest = Civil War? (With Updates)

First the ASEAN summit disrupted in Pattaya, with the Japanese, Chinese, SIngapore and New Zealand heads of state barricaded in their luxury hotels. The Australian Prime Minister turned his flight around mid way and went home. Abhisit, the current Thai Prime Minister had his car assaulted and the rear window smashed.

As I predicted back in December 2008, civil unrest has surfaced.

Now Army Tanks and fully armed soldiers are in the streets of Bangkok trying to quell the civil unrest. About 100,000 protestors have blocked traffic for days and the Bangkok Municipal Council has cancelled Thai New Year festivities that were due to start today...

Legal High: Chewing Betel Nut

Today walking up my street I found an old lady selling Betel Nut (well technically it is Areca Nut wrapped in Betel Leaf), a natural stimulant found Asia.

I recognised the Betel Nut for what it was from my trip to Myanmar about 2 years ago where every 10 meters on every street in the main city area of Yangon is someone sitting at a small booth selling Betel Nut in a variety of mixes for different flavour.

Previously I tried Betel Nut there in Myanmar but got no high out of it so today I jumped at the chance to try it again. So in Thai I asked the old lady "How much", her reply "10 baht" about 30 cents so out came the spare change and I walked off the happy new owner of...

Do It Yourself Betel Nut Kit

Why? Well Betel Nut is a stimulant, said to be as strong as coffee but also addictive, to me that sounds not quite right.... reading up on the customs and talking to people with 1st hand experience with Betel Nut chewers it sounds like it must be a lot stronger than coffee...

In fact it sounds an awefully lot like after chewing for prolonged periods you get a Betel Nut  high...

Bei Otto Restaurant Review

I just realised that I have not done a blog on most bloggers favourite subject - "my blog: my life is so boring I am going to blog on what I ate today"

Yes I am being rude, but really as a blogger who cares what you had for breakfast.... what? OK then, your mum cares but we don't.... 

...so I am going to blog (very little) about what I ate, do a mini review of the excellent and long standing German restaurant Bei Otto (Bangkok Branch) and then do my typical rant that some find interesting/entertaining/annoying... 

Thailand Coup 2008?

Political and civil unrest have been prevalent throughout Bangkok now for over a week with parliment house blockaded and the Government meeting in a different location.

A State Of Emergency has been called several days ago and the military put on standby.

Will this turn into another coup like the 2006 coup ...

Saturday Night In Bangkok What To Do?

Alright Saturday night - night when people with real jobs go out and get drunk!

What is Conan doing? What is there to do in Bangkok on a Saturday night - actually that has to be one of the dumbest questions of all time - you can do ANYTHING....

Sawat Dee Pi Mai Krup - Its Songkran

Dead Monkeys Drive Cars In China

I spent the last week in northern China filming, this article is about some of the non-movie related impressions I got while working

Biggest Loser - Lose 28lbs In 6 Days

Flicking though TV stations while waiting bored in a hotel room I recently saw an episode of the Biggest Loser - it's the TV show where 'teams' of obese people compete against other teams to lose the most fat each week. I good loss in a week is about 6lbs, which is 3kg.

Well in the last 6 days I lost 13kg which is 28.6lbs!!!

Want to know the 'magic' supplement that caused this massive weight loss?

Sick As A Dog

Got a stomach bug in Cambodia, been vomiting with bad diahoreea for days, the vomiting has now stopped but I feel light headed, somewhat dizzy and my guts hurt - not to mention I am off to the toilet every 1/2 hour at best.

I'll write more about the trip in a few days. 

I'm Off To Phnom Penh Cambodia Again

Following on the success of Air Asia's cheap 99 Baht ($3) Airfare deals - I am flying to Phnom Penh tomorrow for 4 days.

I plan oh heading down to the coastal town of Sihanoukville and seeing the place before all the International resorts and hotel chains build there (many have already bought land).

Also I will be meeting with representatives of Film Cambodia to check out hte current capabilities of the incountry crews and equipment availability and to form friendships for future working relationships.

Plus I will be taking time to examine the city in more detail as an ex-pat, accomodation, gym, supermarkets, food availability, etc.

And I will be catching up with a few friends I have made over my last few visits.