Welcome

Welcome to Roy-Mark.Com.  I created this site in the summer of 2002  for several reasons.  The reason that I usually give is that I wanted to establish a means of communication with family and friends around the world.  Additionally, but rarely stated was my desire to learn how to accomplish that feat.  In the process, I learned that the learning process is ongoing. 

I retired  from Atlantic Richfield Indonesia Inc., (ARCO) at the end of 1993.   I began retirement by staying on in Jakarta, Indonesia for one year.  Since then, I returned to Plano, Texas for two and a half years; back to Jakarta for two years; Yogyakarta, Indonesia for two years; and now eight years in Chiang Mai, Thailand.  Retirement has been, and continues to be fun!

I grew up in  Louisiana, but most of my working years were spent in other states or countries. The places where I spent the most time are: New Orleans; Houston; Plano, Texas; Jakarta, and Yogyakarta, Indonesia. I moved from Yogyakarta to Chiang Mai in  2001. 

Over the years I visited 28 countries in South America, Europe, the Middle East, and  Asia.  One of those countries, South Viet Nam, no longer exist; Hong Kong has returned to China; and the Indonesian Province of Timor Timur is now the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste (East Timor).  

To all of my friends and acquaintances who may find this site, I bid you a hardy "Selamat Datang" and "Sawasdee Krup" (Welcome).

Thanks for your visit.  
Ya'll come back real soon now you hear?

(+66819522255)

What's New

On 28 March, I was invited to attend the initiation ceremony of Novice Monks at a Wat (Buddhist Temple) in Chiang Mai.  The son of a friend of a friend was being initiated along with hundreds of other boys as a Novice Monk.  They will serve for about a month during their school holidays.

During the initiation, the boy's feet are not allowed to touch the ground, so they are carried on the shoulders of men.  Their costumes are quite elaborate; the ornamental headdress conceals their freshly shaved heads.  You are invited to view a short video which I captured at Wat Koo Tao and is now available on YouTube. 

After many false starts and much frustration, I finally got setup to accept major Credit/Debit cards for the purchase of The Mark Family History.  The purchases will be processed by PayPal, a major Internet payment processor.  PayPal protects financial information with industry-leading security and fraud prevention.  Old fashioned personal checks will still be accepted. 

You are invited to read my essay, "Good Riddance, Goodbye to the Worst President in 68 Years".  Riddance is a look at a very unpopular President and how his approval ratings compared to other former Presidents.  It is not an opinion piece, but rather a look at Gallop polling data from 1941 through 2008.  I think you will find it interesting reading with a surprise or two along the way.