Job Discussion Forums

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

Greetings & TGIF


We all know how dry & boring classroom textbooks can be sometimes.

Every now & then, you want something interesting, spicy or current ...

to get your students to wake up, tune in to English

and turn off their !#!#! mobile phones.



Printing something off the web is one idea

but that's not always convenient.

What to do?


I stumbled onto something last week.

GURU - a weekly magazine supplement to The Bangkok Post.

It's available only in the Friday Edition, by the way,

or for free in 'hip' locations around town.


It's full of interesting, up-to-date stuff in full color

and appears to be free of the usual grammatical & spelling mistakes.

It contains a nice mix of entertainment, fashion & music news, tips on dining out, a party & concert calendar

'Thais in the news' articles, a weekly horoscope full of great TOEFL / TOEIC level adjectives

and some funny editorial stuff written by farang living in Thailand.


I used it in one of my advanced classes last week

and the students couldn't put it down.

For what it's worth.


In fact, Kiosk owners around town think I'm nuts.

Last Friday, I went around buying copies of The Bangkok Post,

snatched up all the GURU magazines, and left the newspapers sitting in a heap.



PS:

The content, style & vocabulary in GURU is too difficult for kids,

but would be ideal for adults, university students and maybe

an upwardly mobile Mattayom 5 or 6 class !

[brewsterbudgen]

Great tip, thanks. I'm looking for authentic materials for my CELTA course at ECC, starting Monday. Guru sounds ideal.

Hey - that offer of a drink still stands. I'm currently staying in farang-land (soi 4, Sukhumvit) and will be moving to right opposite the National Stadium at the weekend. Where's that little bar you mentioned, where everyone knows your name?!

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

Hello Brewster



Welcome to ... The
BIG MANGO !





I'll be in Pattaya this weekend, so let's

shoot for a get-together next weekend.


Thanks for reminding me that today is GURU Day.

Just be a little careful using that as CELTA material.

It's a bit too difficult for most students in Thailand, imho.


The 5-Star Bar & Grill is located on Sukhumvit 71 Road, Soi 42

which is a 5 minute motorbike ride from BTS Phra Khanong Station.

I'll give you better instructions via mobile phone on the day we meet ...



TGIF and on Monday !

[Placebo]

Hey Kent!

Just out of curiosity.... Where exactly is that 5 star bar & grill you are referring to. I used to live on 71 soi 42 but can't recall having seen any such bar.

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

Hi Placebo et al


and greetings from Pattaya !


The 5-Star Bar & Grill ?

Well ... it's not really a bar per se;

more like a lean-to with a tin roof.

I dubbed it "The 5 Star" as a joke.


But the beer's cheap

the people are lots of fun ...

and there's no dress code.


It sits on Soi 42 near Suk 71 -

next to the motorbike station and

across from the internet cafe

where I'm known to hang out.


Time now for a stroll down Central Beach.

If there's anybody reading this in Pattaya,

gimme a buzz. I need a tour guide.

I'll be here until tomorrow !


UPDATE !!! 01 October 2005 @ 1:20pm


Well I wandered all the way down to South Pattaya.

Found a cheapo hotel for 500 Baht with air, tv and fridge.

It's called The Honey Lodge. South Pattaya Road.


Now all I need is a honey ... and a dry shirt.

I'm sweating like a fat hog.



UPDATE !!! 01 October 2005 @ 5:30pm


Took a 2 hour nap and a shower; not sweating anymore

and the sun is going down. It has cooled off nicely now.

Discovered that the el cheapo Honey Lodge Hotel

has both hot water shower and a swimming pool,

and it's only a one minute walk to the beach.


Wow; all that for 500 Baht.


The internet cafes here, on the other hand, are raping me

at 120 Baht per hour, compared with 20 Baht in Bangkok.

At least they're open 24 / 7.


Time for a little dinner ...

and then it's party time !



POST-MORTEM !!! 02 October 2005 @ 12 noon


Arrived back in Bangkok at 11 am this morning, safe & well rested.

Here are a few general tips for anyone who might want

to get out of Bangkok for a long weekend:


The air-con busses leave from Ekkamai or Mo Chit II Stations

and cost 110 Baht one-way. Take a window seat & enjoy the ride!

With normal traffic, it takes just under 2 hours each way.

In Pattaya, you'll find tons of hotels and guesthouses.

Honey Lodge (where I stayed) was only 500 Baht.

The hotel is fairly old, but the room was clean, and had

air, hot water shower, cable TV, a fridge and a balcony.

They also have a restaurant & a swimming pool.


Here's the contact information,

but they gladly accept walk-ins:


Honey Lodge

597/8 Moo 10 South Pattaya Road
tel: (038) 429133
fax (6638) 710185

[bluffer]

You got done for the internet!

There are lots at 1B a minute and lower. There is one just beside the Tops supermarket at the junction of 2nd road and Central road which is 40B an hour.

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

I reckon the cafes near the beach are more expensive.

Duh ! Live & learn.

TGIF bluffer ...

_________