Graffiti

It's not a glamorous picture but one I think is significant nevertheless.

So why did I snap a picture of the dirty pavement whilst cycling home?

For the word written on the ground. It reads ควย pronounced "kwai" (literally K-W-Y, pronouncing the first consonant in full) meaning buffalo in Thai.

Why on earth would someone write buffalo on the pavement? In the UK, it would be a little crazy but in Thailand there is an explanation.

Thailand hasn't developed anything like the range of swear words which the English-speaking West has. One of the rudest things you can call someone im Thai is buffalo...it really is an offensive term which will certainly not raise a smile.

So the graffiti, if we can call it so, is a rude word.

Funny to think that in writing buffalo someone out there did something rather naughty - hardly compares to what you find in London.

Now you can insult like a Thai though I don't condone doing so - you've been warned.

A new arrival in the family

This blog isn't dead, it is just getting used to sharing the attention with another member of the family.

Once all settles down Jonny Foreigner will back to normal again, for now he's hugging his tear-soaked pillow tightly, reflecting the days as an only-child blog.

Social media blogging has been a twinkle in my eye for a while.

Last month I began with a few entries on Posterous (a site well worth looking at if you're considering blogging, or expanding the family) and after things began turning out quite well the Posterous sprog grew into the new addition to the blogging family, this social media blog.

The folks at Asian Correspondent have taken an interest in supporting my young new thing too, certainly a welcome boost.

So if you're interested in Facebook, Twitter, Hi5, keeping tabs on regular internet and technology news in Thailand, or just wondering why this blog has suffered with few updates - head over to www.jonathan-russell.com for a peak at the newborn.

You're welcome any time.

In the meantime, I'll get back to consoling poor little Jonny.