Spectra and I had a borderline transformational weekend that I'm in the midst of writing about--Lord Buddha only knows when I'll finish--but in the meantime a brief update seems warranted. Two things.
Plan B
Remember a couple of posts ago I said it felt like it was time for Bangkok Shutdown to give up Plan A and move on to Plan B (here's the post)? Spectra was skeptical and questioned whether I understood the issues well or enough or had a proper feel for the Thai perspective. We debated it some, I got where she was coming from, but I ultimately stood by my opinion. Well, guess who agreed with me last night? General Prayuth Chan-ocha, the army chief.
Thailand is one of those places where the military is an autonomous institution. I don't know if that's because of how their constitution is written or if it's a continuation of tradition or what but the military isn't beholden to the government. One of the protest strains was definitely hoping the military would depose Yingluck Shinawatra, the Prime Minister, but now it's clear they won't. In case you're an American thinking "that's madness" the last time the military ousted the Prime Minister was 2006 so there is recent precedent. Oh, and in case you haven't been following along, that Prime Minster was Thaksin Shinawatra who just so happens to be the current Prime Minster's brother. I'm wondering if Thailand is the national incarnation of Patrick Swayze's "Be nice" speech in the eternally under-appreciated "Road House."
Anyway, so yesterday the General went on TV and all but said, "Protesters, listen to me very carefully: Plan A is over." If you don't believe me, which would be fair, perhaps you will believe the New York Times. I will go downstairs and pray at the spirit house for the Bangkok Shutdown leaders to take this as a sign that it's time for Plan B and not to triple down on Plan A. I'm not sure when I'll get down there to pray though because my energy level is low and I'm pretty sore. Why?
Dengue Fever
Ladies and Gentleman and perhaps Beckett, I probably have Dengue Fever. If Know Someone With Dengue Fever was incomplete on your to-do list you can check it off. Dengue Fever sounds gnarly but it isn't necessarily. It's more akin to the flu than to, say, malaria. There's no cure, per se, so if you've got it all you do is stay hydrated and rest. Unless you've got it really bad you just hole up and wait to get better. Unlike the flu it isn't communicable person-to-person. You have to get it from a mosquito so part of the reason you hole up is stay away from mosquitoes to reduce the odds of transmission. I'm literally hiding from mosquitoes right now. It's like I'm back home.
My strain is mild (if strain is the correct word) meaning I've got a headache (in particular behind my eyes), I'm sore, my energy is low, and I quickly tire. Other than that I feel fine. If I get worse or it doesn't pass by the end of the week I'll go to the hospital but in the meantime I'm even more home bound than I already was. It's possible I don't have Dengue Fever and instead this is the combination of food poisoning, physical exertion, and sleeping on a really fraking hard mattress (Jesus, that mattress was hard). That was my first guess but now Dengue Fever seems more likely so feel free to check Know Someone With Dengue Fever off your to-do list.
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