Holiday - Day 4 & 5

Yesterday evening I went to see Sefton, a great English bloke that’s been living in Phuket for a number of years.
We met up in the Off Shore Bar on Nanai Road. Nanai Road is on Patong Hill, quite off the beaten track, which was good for a change as you don’t get any hassle from girls or touts soliciting any sort of funny/dodgy business.
Talking of dodgy business going on in this part of the world, after many years it still escapes me what the attraction is in seeing shows where Thai girls shove ping-pong balls up their whatsits, only to churn them out seconds later at sound wall barrier-breaking speed. What is remotely sexy or funny about it?!?!? The only rational explanation that I can think of is that it’s a rite of passage and initiation for aspiring gay blokes. And don’t get me started on darts.... yes darts, as in oooonneehuuundredandeeeiiigghtyyyy!!! Truly mind-boggling stuff.
Anyway on the Off Shore Bar, I had a taste of Britain as Friday night is curry night! Chicken Masala with plain rice for 150 Thai baht, which is roughly less than 3 quid. Not the best cuzza I’ve had in ages but how can you complain at that price?! In London I can barely sniff the poppadoms for 3 pounds.
Today I went to Nai Harn, which in my humble opinion is one of the best beaches on the island (along with Laem Singh and Nai Ton). The pictures below probably say a lot more than a thousand words.

Holiday - Day 3 & 4 (Part 2)

Today I went to Laem Singh beach, roughly 10k north of Patong. It's a lovely little beach that usually doesn't get too busy.
Before getting to Laem Singh, I stopped off for a quick spot of lunch at one of these road stalls that you can see in Pic 4 & 5. The Ivy it ain't... but who cares when the food is so good and cheap.
On Laem Singh, there is Ali's restaurant - Ali is a great bloke and always has a smile for everyone. His business got literally wiped away when the infamous tsunami hit Phuket a few years ago. Luckily none of his family and staff lost their lives on that tragic day. He was able to re-build his little restaurant, that serves amazingly fresh seafood, within very few months.

Holiday - Day 3 & 4 (Part 1)

Ok, I promised to post a few pics yesterday (or was it the day before yesterday?? Time flies when you're having fun hehehe), so here they are. Hardly David Bailey material, so don't say I didn't warn you if they're not your cup of tea.
The first lot refers to Patong beach, not the best beach on the island but walking distance from my royal apartment.

Holiday - Day 2 & 3

I am beginning to settle in nicely in my little Guest House. Like every accommodation, it’s got its pros and cons. Let’s go through them quickly... Pros: 1) it’s central – less than 10 mins walk to the beach; 2) it’s rather cheap – less than 10 squid per night; 3) it offers free wifi. Cons: 1) it’s located in a dark back alley, populated by a few dodgy dogs and stray ladyboys (or the other way around, maybe?). In all honesty, its location makes Khaosan Road in Bangkok look like feckin Mayfair. Anyway the room is clean and spacious enough, it’s got almost virtually everything you need for a stay in Phuket, plus the Guest House owners are a friendly bunch so altogether I’m happy with my choice of accommodation.

Last night I visited one of my favourite restaurants in Patong (Chiang Rai, at the back of Soi Tiger) to get my Thai food fix. One tom yam kung, 4 big fried prawns and 2 Singhas later, all I was ready for was... the bed! I suppose that a mix of jet lag and sleep deprivation finally caught up with me as I made my sorry way to my room, yawning like a hippo just as everyone else in town was about to go out and have fun. There are some malicious rumours going round that I accepted the kind offer of a blanket and a cup of cocoa by the Guest House owners before retiring to my royal apartment but they are totally untrue.

One minor annoyance is the big number of touts plying their trade in the main streets of Patong. Besides the tuk-tuk mafia, one of my main gripes is with those guys that hold some sort of big lizard (or is it a small iguana??) in their hands, giving you the fantastic opportunity (NOT) of having your picture taken whilst holding such exotic creature. Now don’t get me wrong, I am no tree hugging vegan and I understand that everyone has to make a living... but I can’t help feeling very sorry for those poor blighters (the animals, that is, I’d shoot the touts). Those poor animals look absolutely petrified to me – in fact, surrounded by all those humans and all that noise, they almost definitely are.

Another nuisance is provided by the ubiquitous tailors. Again, they are there to make an honest living for themselves and their families... back in Nepal or Burma (none of them are Thais!!) but why, oh why, do they all have to shake your hand and ask you ‘where are you from boss?’..?? A few years ago I made the mistake of telling a few of them that I’m from Italy so their usual retort would be either a cheerful “Buongiorno, como stai amigo mio?” or a mood-darkening “Ciao Napolitano”. As 1) the mere option of being taken for a Neapolitan would spoil my entire day, and 2) I am a grumpy unsociable b@stard (by my own admission...) and don’t want to shake more hands than a diplomat at a UN conference, now I either cross the street to avoid them altogether or tell them that I’m from Estonia, which seems to shut them up. It’ll take them a while to find out how to say “Fancy a nice suit?” in Estonian.

Today I went to the beach and I’m pleased to report that it’s been a scorching day so far. Apart from a few clouds in the sky, the sun has been shining all day long and the temperature must have been in the early 30’s. I’d like to think that I learnt from previous mistakes so I only spent less than an hour in the sun - I’d rather spend the next few days under the parasol sipping a fresh coconut than in my room licking my badly sunburnt wounds.

Off for a nice shower soon and then I’m going to see an English-speaking pharmacist - my lower back / leg pain doesn’t seem to get any better and, after 2 weeks of unsuccessful treatment, it’s not funny anymore. Fingers crossed.

Holiday - Day 1 & 2

Yippee... finally I’m on holiday! A long-awaited holiday! Currently I’m in Phuket, however I arrived in Bangkok yesterday morning (Tuesday 27/10) but I flew again today to get to the southerly island of Phuket.
The first leg of my flight was not that great as The Qatar Airways aircraft was not one of the newest in their fleet. The In Flight Entertainment (IFE) was slightly defective and my window seat had a fairly big metal box (something to do with the IFE, so I’m told) placed right underneath the seat ahead of mine, which meant that I could not stretch my left leg at all. This worked wonders for my already dodgy left leg...
The in-transit area of Doha airport is nothing to write home about but luckily the 3-hour stopover went relatively quickly as I had a good book with me (Starting Over by Tony Parsons).
The second leg of my flight went even quicker as I took full advantage of Qatar Airways’ superb catering and gurgled two (small) bottles of wine with my dinner. In other words, I had barely managed to finish my food that I was already in the Land Of Nod.
No matter how many times you have been to Bangkok as a visitor, probably you will never get used to the hustle and bustle of this city. The traffic is atrocious at almost every hour of the day and night with all those cars, motorbikes and tuk-tuks competing against each other for the next square inch of asphalt with scant regard for the road rules. Yeah, I know, a bit rich coming from an Italian...
In the afternoon, after visiting my favourite tailor and buying far more shirts than I really need (histiry has a penchant for repeating itself...), I opted for a good massage to see if they could alleviate the pain in my left leg. Knowing only too well what sort of comments my mention of a ‘good massage in Bangkok’ can raise, I’d like to stress that ‘good’ means a massage not of the dodgy variety! In this city it’s much easier to get a massage with a few extras added on (wink wink.... and the letter I can be replaced by an A) than a traditional massage for the infirm and the needy like yours truly.
I’m pleased to report that – in time-honoured fashion whenever I’m in this part of the world – the seafood and the coconut industries got a bit of a boost last night. Had an early night as I was rather tired due to the flight, plus this morning I had an atrociously early Air Asia flight to Phuket.
Got to Phuket about 9am and I was (once again) quite surprised by the pace of change that this island is experiencing. Every time I get here there are new buildings being erected, new roads being built.... maybe a bit too many? I wonder if Phuket one day is going to experience a Spanish-style economic bubble.
Patong (the main town in the island) is busier than I thought. Reading some reports on the Net, I would have thought that I was coming to a ghost town but this is far from the truth. Sure, there are ‘Vacancies’ sign almost everywhere but seeing how busy some of the streets are you wouldn’t think that we are in low-season (and in the midst of a recession!).
Back to my Guest House now as the heavens have opened big style. So today in Phuket we have seen clouds, heavy clouds, sunshine, hot sunshine, rain and heavy rain - all in the space of few hours. It’s just like being in London, innit.

No rest for the wicked

It was a hectic week last week. Final week at my Japanese employer so had to tie up all the loose ends before my departure... Roma away at Fulham on Thursday.... leaving drinks on Friday (thanks a lot to all the lovely people that turned up)..... flying to Rome at the crack of dawn on Saturday morning.... coming back to London on Sunday night (got home at 11pm)....and now at 3am on Monday morning I have just finished packing up for my 10-day holiday in Thailand!!
Have to leave home in 2 hours at 5am as my Qatar Airways flight leaves Heathrow at 8am. Qatar Airways enjoy a great reputation, therefore I so hope they’ll leave up to it as I’m sick and tired of crappy airlines, like Alitalia just to mention one.
I’m planning to stay awake for the first leg of my flight (London to Doha) and then have a good snooze on the second leg (Doha to Bangkok). The idea is to try and adapt to local time as soon as possible. Staying awake on the first leg shouldn’t be a problem at all as allegedly the In Flight Entertainment on Qatar Airways is top notch... we’ll see!
I plan to post daily updates on my holiday in Phuket... with hopefully some great pictures as well. Please feel free to send your comments. Speak soon :)

Mrs Mastella

Scoppia lo scandalo dell'Arpac e coinvolge anche la presidente del consiglio regionale, Sandra Lonardo Mastella. Secondo la procura di Napoli, all'Agenzia regionale per l'ambiente le assunzioni clientelari, messe nero su bianco in un file, sono state per lungo tempo la norma.
Nell'inchiesta sono indagate ben 63 persone ma il provvedimento più eclatante assunto dal gip per la presidente del consiglio regionale Sandra Lonardo, moglie di Clemente Mastella (leader dell'Udeur e noto porco democristiano) è il divieto di dimora in Campania e in sei province limitrofe (Latina, Frosinone, Isernia, Campobasso, Foggia e Potenza).

E che e’ una punizione?? Io pagherei di tasca mia per non risiedere in quei posti...
Nell'abitazione di Sandra Lonardo a Ceppaloni si sono presentati cinque carabinieri in borghese. Successivamente la moglie di Mastella ha lasciato la villa e si è diretta a Roma. La presidente del Consiglio campano si dice sconvolta. Prima in un lunga dichiarazione e poi in una lettera, nella quale si legge: “Mi è crollato il mondo addosso”.

E MAGARI FOSSE VERO, diciamo noi....

The Tories' best ally

Yesterday Harriet Harman warned that companies with men-only boards will fail to win government contracts if they fail to appoint more women.
Is there any limit to the sheer stupidity of this woman?
Call me old-fashioned but if I had to make an appointment to the board of directors, I would tend to choose the best candidate for the job, and I could not care less if this person is a man or a woman (or a South African athlete).
If Harriet ‘chip on her shoulder’ Harman is really so desperate to get more women on companies’ boards, maybe she should try and offer some form of tax incentive to those companies that appoint a female director, rather than threatening an embargo on said companies.
Long live Gordon Brown if this lefty feminist is the best candidate that Labour can offer to the nation in case of a leadership challenge.

What a U-turn

Boris Johnson – formerly the City’s self-proclaimed champion – went on the offensive yesterday as he said he would take a harder line with the banking industry.
It was only 2 weeks ago at the Tory party conference that he stood up for the country’s most vituperated sector, reminding everyone that the so-called leper colony in the City of London produces 9% of UK GDP etc... etc...
Therefore it was rather surprising to read that Bozza described bankers as ‘cockroaches’ and attacked the City’s culture of ‘greed’. The man is not afraid of taking a stand and has made his feelings very clear once again.
The obvious question is: what has prompted a volte-face of such magnitude? I think that Boris Johnson has realised that the main players in the City are refusing to learn from their recent badly misguided actions. He has probably felt that the same horrible mistakes that led to most of the problems that we are facing now can be easily repeated again and again. If my assumption is right, then surely I can’t blame Bozza for making such strong statements, in fact I support him wholeheartedly.

World Cup qualifiers

With the vast majority of matches in European groups being lame ducks, surely the spotlight tonight has to be on South America with Argentina having to avoid defeat in Uruguay if they want to make it to South Africa next June. Depending on the outcome of the Chile v Ecuador match (more about this match later), should the Argies lose in Montevideo, they may end up fifth and therefore having to play off against a team from the Concacaf zone, or sixth in which case they can look forward to watching the World Cup on TV without taking part.
It’s true that most fans want to see all the best countries competing for the top prize at the World Cup come next June, however I can’t help laughing at the prospect of seeing Maradona & Co. in front of their plasma TVs next June.
Argentina’s away record in the qualifying group is far from impeccable, and Uruguay are no mugs, particularly on home soil, therefore Argentina can expect more than a few hairy moments in those vital 90 minutes in Montevideo. Considering the Argies struggled to beat Peru last weekend (they only scored the winner in injury time!!), my prediction is a priceless 1-0 win for Uruguay.
At the same time, I still think that Chile are just too good for Ecuador and should get at least a draw in Santiago. Saying that, Chile have absolutely nothing to play for whilst for Ecuador the carrot dangling in front of their eyes is no less than a ticket to South Africa. Luckily the evil of corruption has never affected the outcome of important games in Latin America therefore I would bet my house that Ecuador will not beat Chile at home. Hhhmmm, maybe not.............

Pay up or quit

Well done to David Cameron for stating clearly that if his MPs do not pay back money at the end of the expenses review they will not be able to stand again for the Conservatives.
But what if the greedy feckers have already decided to give up politics anyway? I hope that this will be a matter for the courts. If you or I are caught with our fingers in the till, saying sorry and promising to give the money back is not good enough to avoid being prosecuted. Why should it be different for MPs?

Moving on

Finally... some good news with regard to my professional life. After being severely underpaid for the last 6 months at a Japanese bank, yours truly has managed to find alternative employment in the City.
It’s not the solution to all problems but getting more dosh in your pockets at month end may solve quite a few of those.
Last day in the office will be Friday 23rd October so have less than 2 weeks to go. Then 2 weeks on holiday (to recharge my batteries!) before starting work at my new employer on Monday 9th November. Leaving drinks likely to be on my very last day, ie. 23/10.
Things could only get better... the comeback has begun!

Bring it on

The real problem here is the sheer embarrassment and the loss of international credibility (provided we ever had one) for Italy, thanks to the antics of an outlaw, a court jester who has been lucky and clever enough (why not? Credit where is due) to fool the majority of the Italian voters several times since 1994.
This article is published courtesy of the Financial Times:

Silvio Berlusconi, Italy’s centre-right prime minister, on Thursday said he would defend himself in court against what he called “absurd” charges following the rejection of his immunity from prosecution by the constitutional court.
(I will tell you what it is absurd here – it’s the fact that he has not resigned yet…; every politician with a shred of decency would have done so ages ago).

“The two trials against me are false, laughable, absurd, and I will show this to Italians by going on television and I will defend myself in the courtroom and make my accusers look ridiculous and show everyone what stuff they are made of and what stuff I am made of,” he said in a radio interview.
(Looking forward to it mate – bring it on….).

Mr Berlusconi had been on trial in Milan in two separate cases last year when parliament passed a law giving immunity to him and three other holders of top state office. The trials were suspended.
After two days of deliberations the 15 constitutional judges ruled by nine to six on Wednesday that the immunity law was unconstitutional on the grounds that all Italians are equal before the law.
The trial in which he is accused of bribing David Mills, his former UK lawyer, to give false testimony to protect his business interests will have to start all over again with new judges, lawyers said. A date has not been announced. Mr Mills, who was found guilty last February and given a 4½ year jail sentence, will have his appeal heard from Friday. Both men pleaded not guilty.
The second case involves Mr Berlusconi’s Mediaset television company and allegations of tax fraud and false accounting surrounding the acquisition of foreign television and film rights. Mr Berlusconi has denied wrongdoing.
Reacting to the constitutional court’s ruling, Mr Berlusconi defiantly declared on Wednesday night that he intended to stay in office until the end of his term in 2013, ruling out resignation or early elections.
But raising the stakes in his long-running battles with the courts, Mr Berlusconi also launched a broadside against the constitutional court and the judiciary as a whole, accusing judges of leftwing bias. He also attacked Giorgio Napolitano, head of state and a former communist, as being from the left.
(What? Turning against your partners in crime now, are you? That's not very nice... but neither is lying to the whole country time and time again.)

His attack on the court and the president has polarised public opinion more than the issue of immunity. His angry broadside shocked even some of his coalition partners who had already started distancing themselves from Mr Berlusconi during exposure over the past six months of sex scandals involving prostitutes at his parties.
Gianfranco Fini, speaker of parliament and co-founder with Mr Berlusconi of their new People of Liberty party, upheld the prime minister’s right to stay in office but pointedly rejected criticism of the court and the president.
Giulio Tremonti, finance minister, said in a statement he was most honoured to serve in Mr Berlusconi’s government. He avoided criticism of the institutions of the state, however.
Leaders of the divided centre-left opposition were delighted that Mr Berlusconi had lost his immunity. But they were also clearly relieved that they would be spared snap elections which opinion polls indicate Mr Berlusconi’s coalition would win comfortably.
Commentators on Thursday said the nation risked being the loser in all this, with a government handicapped by Mr Berlusconi’s legal battles and his standing in the international community further weakened.
Rome’s daily Messaggero newspaper commented: “The real problem is the good of the country.”

Is the law equal for all?

Not in Italy, it seems, according to Niccolo’ Ghedini, Berlusconi’s lawyer and court arselicker.

This article is published courtesy of The Times:

It was an interesting piece of legal doublethink: although the law was equal for all, said Niccolo Ghedini, the wily and cadaverous personal lawyer for Silvio Berlusconi, “application of the law is another matter”.
When Patrizia D’Addario, a prostitute from Bari, alleged this year that the Prime Minister had slept with her on the night of the US election, Mr Ghedini said that his boss had not committed a crime because he was merely “the end user”. A draft law penalising male customers of prostitutes was postponed.
Mr Ghedini is also a deputy for Mr Berlusconi’s ruling party, the People of Liberty, and has a role in framing laws and in defending the Prime Minister. No one has challenged this obvious conflict of interest. It is taken for granted that all aspects of life in Italy are politically coloured — including the Constitutional Court.
Five of the 15 judges ruling on the immunity law are appointed by parliament. Three of those are on the Centre Right, two on the Centre Left. In May Mr Berlusconi was accused by the opposition of trying to nobble the judges when he dined with two of them. Only one, Maria Rita Saulle, 73, is a woman — and whether she shares the distaste felt by many Italian women for Mr Berlusconi over his sex scandals is not known.
For the Prime Minister’s supporters the challenge to the immunity law is part of a fiendish plot. People of Liberty MPs claim that there is a “subversive plan to challenge the will of the people”.
No conspirator forced Mr Berlusconi to go to the 18th birthday party in Naples of Noemi Letizia, an aspiring model, prompting his wife to demand a divorce. No plotter forced him to go to bed with Ms D’Addario, who last week told millions of Italian television viewers that he knew “perfectly well” she was an escort girl.
Equally, the corruption allegations he is likely to face if the immunity law is lifted stem from his own actions. If Mr Berlusconi’s immunity is lifted and he faces prosecution for evading taxes, and for trying to bribe centre-left senators to desert the fragile Government of Romano Prodi, it will be because prosecutors believe that he has broken the law.

Italy’s top court weighs Berlusconi’s immunity

Could this be the right time? Is Italy finally going to get rid of this pathetic excuse for a Prime Minister? Berluscummy is hanging onto power, he keeps saying that everything is ok but he reminds me of Saddam Hussein (or his cohorts) in their final days. They kept claiming victory after victory against the invading forces… whilst ignoring that the enemy was marching triumphantly towards Baghdad.

This article is published courtesy of the Financial Times:

Italy’s constitutional court on Tuesday morning opened deliberations to decide whether Silvio Berlusconi, prime minister, should continue to enjoy immunity from prosecution under a law passed last year by parliament.
The court – which could come to a decision within the day, or defer its ruling until next week – is to to determine whether the act breaches an article of the constitution making all citizens equal before the law.
A decision against the government would lead to the reopening of at least two court cases involving allegations of corruption against the billionaire prime minister and media entrepreneur. That prospect has triggered widespread speculation of early elections.
In 2004 the court rejected a similar amnesty law passed by Mr Berlusconi’s previous centre-right government. His lawyers said the latest law was passed with amendments that took into consideration the court’s previous ruling.
Legal experts said one option for the constitutional court would be to send the immunity law back to parliament with the advice that the act required approval by a two-thirds majority rather than the simple majority it received last year.
A defiant Mr Berlusconi, elected last year, said on Monday he intended to serve his full term until 2013 in spite of accusations issued by a Milan court in a civil case that he had been “co-responsible” as head of his Fininvest media company for the bribing of a judge in a 1991 court case that resulted in Fininvest beating a rival to acquire the Mondadori publishing house. In 2007, that criminal case against Mr Berlusconi was dropped.
Mr Berlusconi’s supporters on Wednesday dismissed speculation that the government intended to call early elections or that the prime minister would resign and make way for an interim administration headed by technocrats.
“Italians gave a large majority to this government,” Altero Matteoli, infrastrucuture minister, told Sky Italia television. “He is the only prime minister in the world with such a high approval rating in this financial crisis,” he said, adding that he awaited the constitutional court’s ruling with serenity.
Mr Berlusconi has repeatedly accused elements of the Italian judiciary of conspiring against him. The 15 judges of the constitutional court are clearly under pressure as revealed in statements by the prime minister’s aides demanding that they address the legality of the case and not take a political decision. This week’s deliberations were scheduled before the Milan court issued its ruling.
The centre-right government said the immunity law, applied to the four holders of high state office, was necessary to allow Mr Berlusconi to devote himself to running the country.
At the time the law was passed, Mr Berlusconi was a co-defendant in a case in which he was charged with bribing David Mills, his former UK lawyer, to give false testimony to protect him and Fininvest. The trial continued without Mr Berlusconi, and Mr Mills, who has appealed against his conviction, was found guilty in February. Delivering its reasoning in May, the court explicitly accused Mr Berlusconi of being behind the bribe.
Both men pleaded not guilty. Should Mr Berlusconi be stripped of his immunity, then, lawyers say, his trial would start from the beginning under different judges.
Mr Berlusconi was also the defendant in a separate case alleging fraud in the purchase of film rights for Mediaset, his television company. Mr Berlusconi denied wrongdoing.
According to media reports, two other cases against Mr Berlusconi are in their preliminary stages. One involves Mediaset and the other an investigation into whether he tried to corrupt two senators in 2007 to withdraw their support from the then centre-left government led by Romano Prodi with a slim majority.

The final nail in Labour's coffin

One of the few things that I have learnt in all these years living in Blighty is that the Sun always backs a winner. This paper may be populist, chauvinistic, offensive etc… but you can rest assured that they are pretty quick at sensing the British people’s changing mood and switch its allegiances accordingly.
The country is sick and tired of Gordon Brown and Labour? The recent Labour annual conference was a shambolic, self-praising farce? Hey presto… the Sun’s headline is “LABOUR’S LOST IT”.
Despite all the fighting talk from the PM and his sad ensemble of cohorts, you can bet your bottom dollar that the Tories will win the next general Election. They probably would have won it anyway, even without the Sun’s backing. Next May – with Murdoch’s endorsement –we could see a 1997-style landslide victory.