Pathumthani

Very few updates recently since I've been busy at work, as well as outside of work. This semester I've been teaching Introduction to Data Communications to 3rd year Computer Science and IT students. I just finished marking their Final Exams on the weekend, so I have a month break from teaching now until Semester 2. I plan to do a few more updates during this time.

BTW last week was in fact the start of my second contract here at SIIT. So looks like I'll be hanging around for another couple of years...

I bought a new camera today. A Nikon D40 digital SLR from EC-Mall in Future Park, Rangsit.

Considering photos are a large part of my website (and main method for recording parts of my experiences in Thailand and elsewhere), I decided I would put some more effort into the quality of photos. First step (although certainly not the main step), was to get a new camera. My Canon IXUS 50 is working well (after a 4000 Baht repair job in 2007), but does not produce great quality pics (maybe its the user?). After talking to friends and reading a bunch of online reviews, I decided to go for a digital SLR, limiting my choice to the entry level Canon or Nikon cameras.

In Thailand, the current models are the Canon EOS400D and Nikon D40X. However, the older models (EOS350 and D40) are still on sale, and of course the newer models are arriving shortly (e.g. EOS450D). I was going to get one of the current models, which were priced around 21000 Baht, until Brenton pointed me to Ken Rockwell's site, which strongly recommended selecting the older Nikon D40, over the D40X (note, some people think Ken is a little too enthusiastic about Nikon). With this advice, I decided on the D40. I wasn't too concerned about Canon or Nikon: I would have been nice to stay with Canon (have the IXUS 50 and video camera), while Nikon uses SD cards which I currently have about 750MB (the Canon uses CF card).

There are several nice web sites for camera shops in Thailand: EC Mall, Pix-One, World Camera, Fotofile, and Mee Camera. Both EC Mall and Pix-One have outlets in Future Park at Rangsit. So I checked them out. Pix-One didn't have the D40 in stock, so that left me with EC Mall. They had it, so I got it.

My bartering was not very good (mainly because the camera was already on special). In the end I got:

• Nikon D40 Kit, which includes the body and standard Nikkor 18-55mm lens (15500 Baht)
• Kingston 1GB SD card
• A rather crappy looking, but so far functional camera bag
• A lens cleaning kit
• A D40 manual in Thai and a D40X manual in English. Doesn't matter: the D40 manual is available online and of course there is Ken Rockwell's user's guide

Total price was 16000 Baht. I was happy with this, considering I was planning on spending 20000 Baht or more. In the future, I can get some more equipment, including a new lens, spare batteries and maybe a bigger camera bag. But for now I'm happy.

Now its time to learn how to take good photos.

We have used 15 different types of transport over the past two days. A few photos of these modes of transport and the sights we saw along the way are available.

Today, Friday the 6th of April, is my first birthday in Thailand and so the day was declared a national holiday. Well perhaps it wasn't just for me - Chakri Day is the anniversary of the establishment of the current Chakri Dynasty in Thailand.

I prematurely celebrated by birthday last night, having dinner with friends at See Fah Restaurant in Future Park, Rangsit. Check out the photos in the gallery. It was a nice Thai restaurant, and I really enjoyed the food. Most dishes were 80-150 Baht. In the end there was plenty of food left over - total cost of less than 5000 Baht for 20 people.

My two forms of exercise so far in Thailand are running and tennis. Since arriving in September 2006, I have been running about the Rangsit campus a few times a week, on a semi-regular basis (at least on weekends). And since the new year I've been playing tennis with a gang from SIIT.

I don't hate beer. I don't hate Thailand beer (the main brands being Singha, Leo and Chang - in English) . I hate the lack of access to beer in Thammasat University.

After a long weekend in Chanthaburi (attending John's wedding), it was back to work today. Which of course meant, my first time ever working on Christmas day.

The School of ICT at SIIT (Thammasat University) has links to several courses (including lecture notes) online.

One thing I got used to in Australia was having quite a reliable ADSL Internet connection (512kb/s download, 128kb/s upload, 8GB monthly limit through Internode for $AU40 per month). Before arriving, getting a similar service in Bangkok was a concern.

Started work today, as an assistant professor in the School of Information and Computing Technologies (ICT) within the Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology (SIIT) at Thammasat University. There are about 10 faculty within the School, all based at the Bang Kadi campus. Well not really a campus – more an offshoot of the Rangsit Campus. There are two buildings housing ICT, Management Technology and Communications programs of SIIT. Its located in Bang Kadi Industrial Park, which has a few large companies, including Toshiba Semiconductor and Sony. More on work later.

Zeer Rangsit is an IT mall in Pathumthani, about 10 minutes north of the old Don Muang Airport (and 30 minutes south of Thammasat University).

National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre, Thailand

A few photos and driving hints from a British expat in Pathumthani, Bangkok.

Located in Pathumthani, about 10 minutes north of the Don Muang International Airport. Convenient if you have a stopover and want to stay near the airport, or you are heading north (e.g.