I have long been a fan of the films of Christopher Nolan, everything from Memento onwards. Not only does he make interesting, intelligent movies; but the level of craftsmanship that goes into their making has always intrigued me. In particular, Nolan’shis insistence in minimising computer generated special effects in favour of real action.

A good example was a scene from The Dark Knight. The requirement was to drive an eighteen wheel truck down a narrow street in the banking district in Chicago, a location full of extremely expensive real estate which could not be damaged; and then flip it. Not too hard using CGI, but Nolan wanted it done for real. Here’s brief extract from what was many months of preparation:

I love this sort of stuff; almost as enjoyable as the movies itself. So I couldn’t resist this:

Some excitement in the Pattaya air this week due to the first ever meeting of our CCC (Colonial Commenters Club), overseas members division. Already in town was Spanky, who had spent a couple of weeks acclimatising and recovering from jet lag by adopting the tried and tested technique of being permanently pissed; before being laid low with what he described as a stomach bug, but what any member of the medical profession would easily identify as alcohol poisoning.

Genuinej, although not actually a colonial, had volunteered to attend in order to ensure that nobody employed bad grammar, and to make sure that any food and drink menus perused during the meeting did not contain spelling mistakes. Unfortunately, he was called back to the motherland on the day of the meeting to attend a disciplinary tribunal of the IGP (International Grammar Pedants). The charge laid before him was that he neglected his duties related to the correcting of mistakes in this publication for some three weeks, preferring to spend his time wielding his mashie niblick in assorted bunkers across Chonburi province, or whatever the fuck it is that golfers do.

The other attendee was Grant who flew all the way from New Zealand for the occasion; and then spent nearly as much time getting from Bangkok to Pattaya by choosing to come on the train. I was tasked with collecting him from the station which I was able to find thanks to directions from Pete and Wally. Unfortunately, the train had a lot more difficulty finding the station than I did, eventually arriving more than an hour behind schedule.

I was kept abreast of progress by frequent SMS messages from Grant (“snow on the tracks in Banglamung”), so did not have to spend to much time hanging around. But it actually turned out to be a rather pleasant place to spend some time.

“The dark side” is the name given to the area east of Sukhumvit road in Pattaya.

To those who live on the west side, the dark side indicates an area lacking in civilisation and amenities. To those who actually live there, it means a place away from the bright lights of the city where a more orderly life can be lived. The reality is that it can be a very pleasant place to be, although battling through the queues around the ever-blossoming housing estates to get into Pattaya can be a pain.

One of the charms of the dark side is that is generally devoid of establishments peddling flesh. If you want some action, come into Pattaya. So I was most surprised to chance upon this sign near to Mabrachan reservoir:

She who must be obeyed is never short of folk remedies for a variety of ailments. I view all her cures with a deep suspicion. If it hasn’t been recommended by a doctor, or I have not been bombarded with an extensive television advertising campaign featuring unusually attractive women in white coats and a blizzard of graphs; then I am not interested.

My latest problem, slight as it is, is an inability to have a full night’s sleep. This is partly caused by my wife’s current late working hours, which means she returns home when I would normally be tucked up in bed, and then wants to chat and/or play some of her games on the computer. This is known as “winding down” and I do sympathise, albeit with a lot of yawning.