BudLite Presents: Real Men of Genius. . . Today we salute YOU Mr. . . . .

. . . Asian Correspondent Extraordinaire!!!

[♫ in the background] While correspondents coagulate on the beaten path, you strut the high- the low- and parlous track. Remote bird flu hot zones, bullet-ridden conflict areas—- the very bowels of hell itself!!—- You have conquered them all, with stealth by your side and twinkle in your eyes. Because of you, o mad-dog maverick bandit traversing the ruthless Indochine geography, adventures in pandemic scourges and war know no bounds. (You take my breath away) Who is Nirmal? Who cares? Lordy Lordy have mercy, it is imperialism on the nomen nudum scale!! So, crack open an ice cold Bud Light, o Marauder of the Landmasses, and don’t wander too far from your fantasies of Nirmalian imperialism, because your greatness is ever so inspiring!!!!

Today we salute YOU, Mr. ASIAN SUBCONTINENT CORRESPONDENT EXTRAORDINAIRE!!!!

♫ Reeeeal men of geeeeeniouuuus!!!! ♫

Note:
I came across this old email and had to post it for nostalgia's sake. I'd written it in jest to the BudLite ad track many years ago for Nirmal Ghosh. He was my first and only friend here in Asia for a short while when I first landed in Bangkok. I was staying with an old friend Doualy Xaykaothao who's a reporter for NPR, but she promptly traipsed off to chase a story too soon after I landed, and I was alone in her Bangkok pad. She introduced me to her friend and colleague Nirmal, and he smoothed the bumps of transition to SE Asia! Great friends, both of them. And it doesn't hurt that both can spin art out of the written and spoken word. Inspires me silly, these guys!

I completely forgot about it until just now, cleaning out my email boxes. Oh memories... Love you guys.
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