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Historical and legendary figures in ‘Musashi – Book 1: The Way of the Samurai’

29/06/2010
Historical and legendary figures in ‘Musashi – Book 1: The Way of the Samurai’

Tokugawa Yeyasu – the Shogun, ruler of Japan Oda Nobunaga – the initiator of the unification of Japan Toyotomi Hideyoshi – Oda Nobunaga’s former liege lord and successor Toyotomi Hideyori – the son of Hideyoshi, ruler of Osaka Castle and rival of Ieyasu Kobayakawa Hideaki – supposedly and ally of the Western Army, at Sekigahara he fought...
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An Analysis of ‘The Return’ by K.S. Maniam

28/06/2010
An Analysis of ‘The Return’ by K.S. Maniam

Introduction K.S. Maniam is a prolific writer with an impressive academic background. Before turning to full-time writing, he led a life of teaching. His creative work, mostly short stories, has been published in different anthologies of Southeast Asian literature. His published fiction includes collections of short stories, such as Haunting the Tiger: Contemporary Stories from...
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List of main characters in ‘Musashi – Book 1: The Way of the Samurai’

27/06/2010
List of main characters in ‘Musashi – Book 1: The Way of the Samurai’

Miyamoto Musashi – an apprentice swordsman Shimmen Takezo – former name of Musashi Munisai – Takezo’s late father, once a samurai under Lord Shimmen of Iga, descendant of the Hirata family Ogin – Musashi’s older sister Jotaro – a young follower of Musashi Aoki Tanzaemon (aka Scraggy Beard) – an official of the Tokugawa government, the representative of...
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“Without my books and music I could hardly live in Thailand.” – Interview with Dutch visual artist Cornelis Hoek

26/06/2010
“Without my books and music I could hardly live in Thailand.” – Interview with Dutch visual artist Cornelis Hoek

Cornelis Hoek is a Dutch artist who has been living in Thailand since 1999. Born on June 25, 1937 in the Netherlands, he is well-known around the world as a concert singer, a weaver, a theatre maker, an impresario, an art collector, and a visual artist. His current exhibition “The World in Our...
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Quotes from ‘Musashi – Book 1: The Way of the Samurai’

25/06/2010
Quotes from ‘Musashi – Book 1: The Way of the Samurai’

Inspiring quotations selected from Musashi – Book One: The Way of the Samurai by Eiji Yoshikawa “I thought men who were good at the martial arts served under great lords and got big allowances.” “Men are supposed to be able to drink.” “If a man worries too much about what others think or do, he’s apt to...
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Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Bangkok

24/06/2010
Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Bangkok

On my way back home from Neilson Hays Library, I stopped nearby to visit the Hindu (Brahman) temple of the Shakti sect, Sri Maha Mariamman or Maha Uma Devi Temple (วัดพระศรีมหาอุมาเทวี). Located in Bang Rak district, on the corner of Thanon Pan, opposite Silom Soi 20, it is one of the only two...
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Language and Gender: Outdoor Trips vs. Prison Life

23/06/2010
Language and Gender: Outdoor Trips vs. Prison Life

In the following chart I will present the oppositeness of two texts. The first text analysed (left hand side of the chart) is the article Rivers & Rapids and Bears, Oh My! (not signed), published on Explorations in Travel, Inc, a web site dedicated to women travelers. The second text analyised (right hand side of...
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“The World in Our Hands” – Cornelages, A Paper-Cut Collage Exhibition by Cornelis Hoek

22/06/2010
“The World in Our Hands” – Cornelages, A Paper-Cut Collage Exhibition by Cornelis Hoek

Between the 1st and 29th of June 2009, Neilson Hays Library in Bangkok holds a very unique exhibition that bears the title “The World in Our Hands” by Dutch visual artist Cornelis Hoek. Under the terms “cornelages,” obviously a blending of the artist’s first name and the word “collage,” the Rotunda and the Garden...
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Neilson Hays Library in Bangkok

21/06/2010
Neilson Hays Library in Bangkok

With the occasion of the bi-annul used books sales organized by Neilson Hays Library, I also had the chance of visiting the library itself. Located on Surawong Rd. in Silom, Bangkok’s banking district, the library is housed by a beautiful medium-size mansion. The building was designed by Mario Tamagno, an Italian architect...
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Books as an Addiction

20/06/2010
Books as an Addiction

I consider myself to be one of the best male partners a woman could find in Bangkok (although it is too late for anyone interested out there, as I’ve been happily married with a most exquisite woman since 2005). I have no vices at all! I don’t dink alcohol, I don’t smoke and...
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Voicu M. Simandan

is a Romanian writer, freelance journalist and educator who is currently living in Bangkok, Thailand.

NON-FICTION

The Matrix and the Alice Books
Quotes-Web-555
The Spirit of Mediaeval Japan

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

The Ironman. A play

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