Coins, Stamps and Other Collectibles

I was in Bangkok for work last week and picked up this set of local Thai coins from a little shop on Sukhumvit Road. Nothing particularly antique about these coins at this point but who knows maybe in thirty or forty years they might be worth something.

Fig 1a

Fig 1b

This particular collection was to commemorate the 50th anniversary of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's accession to the throne on 9 June 1946. The King is much loved and revered by the Thai people. Everywhere one goes, one can see pictures of him on walls, in magazines and as posters.

This reminded me of the various collections some of us had as we were growing up. How many of you collected stamps? Coins? Interesting rocks? Movie or sports cards?

I used to have some old Sarawak notes, like the one below ...

Fig 2

Some of you may also still have the old Japanese "Banana Money" which was used during the Japanese Occupation years of 1941 to 1945.

Fig 3

The moment the Japanese fell, these notes became largely valueless (except perhaps for historical value). My father once told me that after the War he even saw a toilet with its walls completely plastered by these Japanese Banana notes.

Well, I'd like to hear about interesting collections you may have had when you were teenagers (for this posting, let's exclude your collections of girlfriends or boyfriends, shall we? LOL)

Election Fever in Thailand

This is certainly a year of elections ...  I was in Bangkok for work this past week and witnessed political campaigning in full swing on the streets of the capital city. The Thais go to the polls on Sunday 3rd July 2011, and I think it'll be another exciting one to watch. We've all heard about the shenanigans of the red shirts and the yellow shirts, the huge protests in the heart of Bangkok, as well as the forced closures of the Suvarnabhumi International Airport. One wonders what will happen after the election results are known this time.

The two key parties are the Democratic party, led by Abhisit Vejjajiva, the sitting Prime Minister, who some ladies think is handsome, and the Pheu Thai party, led by Yingluck Shinawatra, sister of ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who some guys think is hot (I'm referring to Yingluck, not Thaksin!)

Anyway, here's a sample of the posters I saw on the streets.

Pheu Thai party's poster with Yingluck Shinawatra on the right

Democratic party, with Abhisit Vejjajiva on the right

 Can't remember the name of this smaller party ... will check later

Sometimes it is quite easy to spot which politician some people don't like ...

Horny politicians take on a different meaning here

This is your Political Jaga, signing off from the streets of Bangkok ...

Actually not really, I'm back home as of last evening :-)