SiangDeeMahk

SDM, how long have you been waiting for a chance to give us all your sermon.Praise the lord the saviour is here.

Clearly, I'd been storing that up, for a while.. however, I'm no saviour..I'm just trying to put a few straight ideas into some (possibly lost) people's heads.

And once again, for the record, I SPECIFICALLY DIDN'T pass judgment on hookers for being hookers.. I only passed a warning onto customers not to mistake hookers to be anything else OTHER than hookers. And to please act accordingly, and not go off half-cocked (pun intended) in an inappropriate cloud of schoolboy/puppy love. (coz it aint, it's just business)

But Oh, Spuddy Buddy.. lets just be glad for the little things, such as:

Uhh.. well, we should probably ALL be terribly glad that I was only waiting (and saving up the juices) to deliver you all, my "sermon", and not all my semen.

(which, in a mighty strange twist, was fairly much the main gist of my (near-to-a) manifesto about "prostitutes (and specifically, what men pay to put in them)".. mahahaha

OMG,, I think I need to go to sleep RIGHT NOW.. hehe

(don't laugh, we've all been there, stuck in the Overtired Zone)

Funny post man ...... I think I am in the minority though when I say I agree ! lol

I wanna know how he got all of his information.

Well, frankly?

After bi/tri-annually traveling to (and eventually living for extended periods of time @ my apartment in) Bangkok for nearly the last 6 years,

(and reading TV and other Thai -related news & forums for basically the same period),

and having a monogamous, committed relationship with (an AMAZINGLY CUTE) Thai national,

it turns out that even though she isn't and has never been a sexworker (but has a career that sometimes brings her into proximity with some of them),

it's really not that difficult to make simple, accurate observations of what's going on around me.

Especially with something as obvious and omni-present as the ubiquitous sex industry, in Bangkok/Pattaya/Phuket, Thailand.

Furthermore, as to your barely veiled insinuations, I put it to YOU, sir:

Does even a utterly mediocre reporter have to fire a handgun into his own brain, in order to accurately compose a story detailing the events that took place at a (occasionally startling, and rather messy) game of Russian Roulette??

How about marine biologists? Do they actually have to be bitten (or perhaps, eaten completely) by sharks themselves, in order to compile accurate statistics regarding the frequency of great white shark attacks at the great barrier reef in Australia?

And what about Police Detectives? Do they have to actually be former criminals charged, convicted and incarcerated for Grand Larceny, in order for them to deduce who it was who robbed a bank????

Mmm.

Ah-ha.

Right.

Exactly.

::::game-clock says: BZZZT!:::: Ok, and thats all the time we have for this game! Sorry you didn't win, but come back and try again sometime!

A coup usually happens after a denial.

Fuel for tanks is to expensive now. No coup.

Especially when you've already blown massive amounts of your budget on little emtpy black boxes with a portable radio whip-antenna sticking out of them.

Jeez.. what's it come to, when even the scrappy Thai motoci-taxi/hitmen have gotten so (typically) lazy, that they don't even give a bloke a decent "suicidal" shove off a balcony in Pattaya..?? I mean, if not in Pattaya, then where CAN you really go now, to receive a decent push off a building? Is NOTHING (not ever murder-for-hire), worth doing well, to these people?

Ok, ok.. calm down!.. Not all Thai's (and certainly not all Thai hitmen) are lazy, of course.. and all kidding aside; we may be glad that this guy survived his fall.. but just remember, if it really was his dying wish, to DIE, then HE may not be nearly as glad of the "remarkable" survival of his intended last leap, as some people here seem to be.

Perhaps, that's too macabre for some.. but.. it's possible he'd really just had enough, and wanted "out".

I mean.. not EVERY highrise terrace-leaper in Pattaya is getting an unwanted assisted-shove off into thin air.. or ARE THEY?? hehe

reason for edit: Awww.. how CUTE; this was my 100th post!! I gotta celebrate!! (away from any roofs)

There's a decent fishing tackle shop not far from at BTS station on the Sukhumvit (On Nut) line. After getting off, walk back a half block or so (ie, not towards the end of the line), and you should see the poles, nets, etc. outside the shop. This is on the other side of the street from the Tesco Lotus shopping mall. Problem is, I can't remember if this was the Ekkamai, Phra Khanong, or On Nut station :-P . . . but it's one of those 3.

It's On Nut station.. and the tackle shop is right next to a (wait for it.............)

...... massage shop.

BTW.. that's a nice little shop.. 100Bt Thai massage, no frills, no hankypanky.. just slightly older, slightly heavier women (and a few guys), that twist you up very well.

If you're actually after a decent massage, I reccomend it. And as for the tackle shop; I don't even FISH, and I've been drawn in there, just to see all the wild stuff they have on display.

Cant flame you at all, my American brother..

The entire proccess is Effed..

I bear the scars (including the website timeouts & crashes, lack of appointments, unreachable phone support, and after finally leaping all the hurdles and getting an actual appointment; 10000% sadaistic Embassy staff) of 2 utterly unsuccessfull attempts to get a Visa for my longtime GF. Including RT air tickets, full touring/travel itenerary, proof of reservations at hotels, letters of recomendation, evidence of already paid-for educational commitments (to return to) in Thailand, multiple property ownership documents, clear documentation of all blood relations in Thailand, documents of financial guarantee, ample photographic, e-mail, and printed (reciepts, bills) evidence of a (then) 3+ year relationship and cohabitation, pasport evidence of travel to (and back again from) several other countries, letters of invitation to visit the US... ALL appropriately noterized..

The entire affair is a complete embarrasment to me as an American, and a complete travesty perpetrated apon Americans.

Jeez.. Now I'M uselessly ranting! :-(

Why give balance to a group with such a track record of terrorist acts? This isn't a garden party.

Why? Just to be fair!

Till now there is no proof who did this, only many speculations. Many good, bad, interesting arguments for and against. Only party not accused yet are the aliens (the real ones that is). As I said, IMHO it's red/UDD sympathisers, but that still allows me to try to keep an open-mind!

I don't see the point in giving equal weight to ridiculous theories. The theory that the government did it is ridiculous.

Hi Jingthing.. dont think we've yet crossed paths directly in a thread on TV yet.. but I read you often.. so.. Greetings!

You said: "The theory that the government did it is ridiculous."

Err.. I'd have to stop you there. After all, TIT.. The theory that the government did it is NOT ridiculous. These folks don't just do "ridiculous", they put a spitshine on it that, from the ground, could blind a jetliner pilot at 40K'. But in THIS case, it's just hundreds of times less ridiculous than the theory that the Reds DIDN'T do it.

As I'm sure you'll agree; there is very little (in Thailand) that can be quantified "absolutely".. but in a relative comparison, it's easy to see the MOST LIKELY culprit of these terrorist actions. Let's face it: If it waddles, quacks, uses it's webbed feet to paddle, lays its eggs, preens it's feathers, and does funny TV commecials for Aflak Insurance LIKE A DUCK?? Then guess what.. ? It's prolly gonna be ข้าวผัดเป็ด tonight!!!

This Government doesnt NEED to try to make the Reds look "bad"; coz the Reds have already done that work, for them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=js4tTg7VCDo

Well.. Midtown Bangkok bomb blast, 1 dead, 7 injured. All innocents, at the hands of "yet unknown" terrorists. And fairly inconceivable, that more (maybe MUCH more) of the same, isn't on the way.

That certainly didn't take very long, did it? For the last 2 months, I've been placating (and putting to ease) my friends, family, and associates (while telling terrible stories about what's happening in Thailand in relation to the political violence), only by addending this hopeful-sounding post-story caveat: "But now, the violent protests have ended, and all is quiet in Thailand".

But that's no longer going to be a viable addendum to my reporting (and following discussions) on Thailand.

To be honest, I'm not really sure what to start telling friends and family, now.

I suppose it was only a matter of time, before this happened. And we all knew perfectly well that the entire Taksin-driven movement hadn't disappeared, but simply had gone underground. Well.. now, DEADLY violence has returned to Bangkok.

(not sure yet at whose hands, but I think many of us with at least some brains left are pretty sure that if a culprit is ever found, chances are they'll be caught "RED-handed" in a quite literal way).

On a slight side note (because it STILL bothers me): Peaceful demonstrations, MY ASS. The only time that "FIRE" should be part of a proper peace demonstration, is when it appears at the tip of a lighter (held overhead, during a stirring musical performance), or within the confines of a little BBQ grill, for toasting marshmallows over. If you see fire.. of any other kind, at a peace demonstration? Then guess WHAT? It's NOT a peace demonstration for democracy!

Is that so freakin hard to understand? Wow.

More immediately, I just heard 3 important sounds, which among other things, signals the death knell of tourism, to my ears:

1) A world-wide rustling and shuffling of papers. What was it?

It was the sound of EVERY SINGLE travel agency, tour organizer, concert promoter, student-exchange program administrator, and bookstore "guidebook section manager" in the ENTIRE WORLD, deftly gathering up any kind of "Amazing Thailand" travel brochure or pamphlet, TAT promotion sheet, Thai Airways poster & decals, or re-order forms (for Thailand guidebooks), and unceremoniously dumping them in the nearest garbage can.

2) A world-wide nearly inaudible "hum" of electrons, representing bits of data on the Internet. What data?

The quickening cancellation after cancellation of already-booked holidays and tour itineraries, by people or organizations that, for some strange reason, might not actually want to deliberately bring themselves, their peers, workmates, or their precious loved ones into harms way.

3) A Thai metropolitan area-wide scream. What was it?

A desperate cry of anguish, (from Thai and Farang landlords, alike), as the calls of current Farang tenants giving notice of departure start pouring in, and the calls from perspective new Farang tenants come to an utter halt.

But, SO WHAT!! Right? After all, Tourism is just a scant 4-6% of the Thai economy. (utter rubbish, of course, but, accurate as far as THEIR reporting goes, at least. Ahem.)

Because hey, they're just tourists, right? No big deal, because all the expats, and foreign, industrial (and other) business will be unaffected by the country's (potentially looming) civil war (which lots of smart people are already predicting).

Or, will they really be unaffected..?? After all, business NEVER take employee or management's safety, or possibly dramatic interruptions in finished product exportation, raw material delivery, or workers availability (due to Emergency Decrees and curfews), into consideration, when evaluating their business presence in a foreign country, right??

Take a look around your house (those of you outside of Thailand, I mean). If you look inside your computers, cars, fridges, toys, stereos, mobile phones.. you'll see LOTS of things with "Made In Thailand" stamped on them or on parts inside of them.

You would be hardpressed, however, to find many items with "Made In" stamps from countries like Somalia, Iran, Afghanistan, Croatia, North Korea, etc. Well, there's a reason for that. Foreign business doesn't quite WANT TO do business in those places. Specifically, political unrest, deadly violence, civil wars and revolutions (among other reasons) are not very appealing to most investors. Thailand ought to be very careful now. Yes, they've had quite good success luring foreign investment and business to Thailand in the past.. But, just like the disclaimer that Stock Brokerages are required to post regarding the services they provide, "Past statistics are NOT a guarantee of future performance".

I mean, really.. Thailand now appears (internationally) to look like someone who's just squarely shot themselves in the foot. But unlike a sane person, who would then drop the gun, and get straight to the hospital, Thailand instead looks like someone who, after shooting themselves in the foot once, carefully takes aim again, and starts pumping round after round into the same foot, over and over, then dips the shattered appendage into gasoline, and begins trying to slowly firewalk on hot coals!

Don't know about you guys, but when I see someone doing that? I head the other direction. Soon, so will the rest of the world, (I believe).

Also, the Thai habit of trying to hide/spin/twist the truth about what's really happening flies directly in the face of the REST of the world's uniform appreciation of FACT being immeasurably more valuable than FACE. Because the rest of the world isn't dumb; they KNOW the bullshit spins coming from TAT is the same as if NASA tried to claim that the Challenger Spaceshuttle hadn't actually "catastrophically exploded" on liftoff from Cape Canaveral, but was just "testing it's emergency escape procedures".

Come on, Thailand... OWN UP to the problems, and FIX them. You wanna keep playing (in the rest of the world) with the Big Boys? Then you're gonna have to GROW UP, OWN UP, MAN UP, or shut up. There are NEW rules in the NEW globally connected world. It's not optional; you HAVE to play by those rules, OR YOU'RE OUT OF THE GAME!!!!!

A final note:

When the country next to you ends up having:

-friendlier tourist and expat policies,

-better exchange rates,

-ocean access,

-ancient ruins,

-exotic cultures and indigenous peoples,

-jungles, rivers, cities, crafts, girls (not necessarily in that order, mind you),.. or pretty much whatever a traveler to SE Asia might be looking for,

-and (let's not forget) is the landowner of one of the 7 Wonders Of The World,

-and has an ablebodied workforce for foreign industry.....

you Reeeeeealy shouldn't spend too much time dipping your paintbrush in the paintcan of "violent, deadly political unrest" and start whitewashing your whole f_cking country with it!

P.S. Flame all you want, these are just MY opinions.

• As for the color comment, assuming you'd still have heaven forbid a green blouse with a pair of purple pants, these two colors are in balance according to color harmonies. Throw in a bit of orange, too, and it's perfect. From Wikipedia: A triad uses colors at the points of an equilateral triangle (three colors spaced equally on the color wheel). These are sometimes called balanced colors. An example of a triadic scheme could be red, blue, and yellow; green, orange, and purple, etc.

Oh, this is SO offtopic, but.. Actually, what you have, if you mash those three colorpoints of that triangle together, is THIS:

I wouldn't call that perfect, balanced, or even remotely hip. :-p

In April did some comparison shopping at the TL and Carrefor at Onnut the TL had better prices and better selection, did the buying at TL.

Hmmm.. I've been living in the On Nut area for one and a half years (I'm back visiting the States for the summer right now), but I've had the opportunity to get a pretty good feel for what the 2 stores (at On Nut) sold (had available), and for how much.

My (and my girlfriend's) consensus was that CarreFour actually had more products and a wider range of items (which is to be expected; it's physically larger than TL, with 2 enormous floors of merchandise), but except for the deepest, hugest sale specials, was consistently more expensive than TL.

We would routinely go shopping at TL, then, just swing by CF to try to pick up something that TL simply didn't have.

I'm no so sorry to see it go, but I did love the end-of-the-day sushi closeouts, and (at least at On Nut), the mini flea market that had sprung up in part of the indoor parking lot. :-p

Also, the Thais are MUCH cuter when they mangle Tesco Lotus into "Tetz-ah-goh Roh-daht", than when they say CarreFour (because CarreFour still comes out as "Gaah Fauh").

I would suspect your Father-In-Law.

And EVERY single one of his friends/relatives/drinking buddies/local police (who he's now able to easily butter up).

Because without specialized cloning gear, it's real, REAL hard to beat the PIN system.That's why it's used the world over. If it's good enough to protect customer's money at thousands of banks (in millions of ATMs) in hundreds of countries (even technologically advanced, 1st world ones), then I'm pretty sure it's good enough for Somchai Central.

Remember, there IS no honor among thieves.

And trust me, I have personal experience with how scrupulous and decent one member of a Thai family can be (in this case, the GF), and how utterly void of those attributes an immediate family member (of that GF) can be.

Lets just say that we should all consider ourselves lucky that pawn shops in Thailand seem to exhibit patience and a proclivity to retain items they buy for a long time, (possibly to avoid running into legal trouble for fencing stolen items) before trying to immediately resell them.

Actually cloning is quite easy, in Holland its done a lot and people loose loads of money. But you have to clone and make sure you get the pin number. This can be done with a mini camera or a touch pad on the keys of the machine they are using. BUT more people should be the victim then just one. They don't stop at one.

BZZZZZT!! (((FAIL!!!)))

::::sigh:::::

I didnt SAY "cloning was hard".. I SAID, it's hard to beat the PIN system WITHOUT cloning.

Read, people! It's FUNdimMENTAL.

Now all I have to do is deal with my sex addiction.

On second thoughts - Why?

Right! Cause that only turns your dick red; not your whole body!

The only movies I know, only teach you how to get on with Thais, when they're NOT speaking, behind closed doors.

But seriously, go buyt some DVDs with dual language (Thai/English soundtracks and subtitles), and emmerse yourself in them.

Probabaly the best setting would be Thai soundtrack with English subtitles, so that you can start to associate the spoken Thai with English words that you already know (and can quickly read).

18 months? Wow. That's a pretty good strech of the rules.

I wonder, did he "donate" something horrifically expensive to the local police station, or the Poo Yai?

I would suspect your Father-In-Law.

And EVERY single one of his friends/relatives/drinking buddies/local police (who he's now able to easily butter up).

Because without specialized cloning gear, it's real, REAL hard to beat the PIN system.That's why it's used the world over. If it's good enough to protect customer's money at thousands of banks (in millions of ATMs) in hundreds of countries (even technologically advanced, 1st world ones), then I'm pretty sure it's good enough for Somchai Central.

Remember, there IS no honor among thieves.

And trust me, I have personal experience with how scrupulous and decent one member of a Thai family can be (in this case, the GF), and how utterly void of those attributes an immediate family member (of that GF) can be.

Lets just say that we should all consider ourselves lucky that pawn shops in Thailand seem to exhibit patience and a proclivity to retain items they buy for a long time, (possibly to avoid running into legal trouble for fencing stolen items) before trying to immediately resell them.

Just curious.. some 1000-odd years ago, just what type of measuring device was being wielded by the day's "scientists" to accurately document the force of vibrations traveling through the crust of the planet? Petrified size-ordered oxen-balls suspended in a precisely calibrated natural latex hanging apparatus?

And if they DID manage to make useful, accurate scientific measurements using those "advanced" tools 1000 years ago, then just what the "Ef" were they using, 2000 years ago??? A striped bubble blown in a pool of monkey snot, sitting on a flat rock??

Come on Thailand. ENOUGH WITH THE HOCUS POCUS instead of REAL science.

As far as "fault lines" go, if you want to include the tiniest, most insignificant micro-cracks in the tectonic plates, then you can find "fault lines" just about everywhere on the face (and under the seas) of the entire planet.

This entire story is so replete with utter bunk and non-information (which is perfectly normal for a Thai Government study), it's not worth the electrons that were wasted in the making of it. "Scientific Thai Prediction" is an oxymoron. Like "Government Intelligence", "Giant Shrimp", or "Genuine Imitation".

Important fact #1: Many structures in Thailand are sub-standardly built out of un-reinforced prefabbed concrete. Certainly anything that was built 10 or more years ago (and probably lots of things built since then), are simply going to convert to dusty chunks of life-squashing rubble at the smallest of seismic provocations, faster than you can say "จากการเคลื่อนที่ของแผ่นเปลือกโลกทำให้เกิดแผ่นดินไหวขึ้นในบริเวณทะเลอันดามัน". You think Haiti was a disaster? Haiti was a bunch of 1 or 2 story shacks with weak walls and intentionally heavy (hurricane-resistant) roofs. If there was ever a serious seismic event in Bangkok? 15 - 30 floor concrete structures reduced to dusty pancaked tombs. The death toll will eclipse the Haiti losses even before the initial shockwave moves beyond the borders of the city. Although there aren't many tall buildings in other parts of Thailand (except a few giant resorts scattered around), the cheaply made concrete structures at any height are going to crumble to bits, wherever they are.

(even more) Important fact #2: You can't even really slam Thai Scientists for their lack of ability to adequately predict earthquakes. Why? Because currently.. NO ONE can really predict earthquakes! So it's not their fault that they cant do it, but it IS their fault that they CLAIM that they can!! Based on projections calculated from 2000 year old data no less, which is undoubtedly void of any scientifically obtained facts.

On a serious note though; we've all seen the omnipresent cracks in the concrete of Thailand. I'll die in my concrete-walled/floored/ceilinged apartment, just the same as millions and millions of others will, if and when a big (unpredictable) one hits.

Wow.. Making fun of "Thai Science" is like shooting bpla in a barrel. It's so easy, you almost feel guilty for doing it.

Then again, after watching a country attempt to defend itself againsts bomb attacks with a whip car-aerial sticking out of an empty plastic box (GT200), perhaps they need as much witty whistleblowing/mocking, as they can get.

Try this one.At Carrefour they sell the donuts 8 baht a piece or 6 for 40 baht.Some time ago I needed 50 donuts for my boy to take school.I called the bakery servant and asked her if I could get them packed in 1 box.Of course this wasn't possible as 50 can not be divided by 6.After some meddling in from the Farang manager it was possible and she counted 50 times 8 Baht.Another involvement of the manager explained her that 40 Baht divided by 6 pieces multiplied by 50 was the correct sum.

So after that I got the correct price calculated and paid............Needless to say that when i arrived home I found only 40 donuts in the box.

Err.. the FARANG manager...??? Since when can a Farang do a Thai (managers) job, especially in a very obvious and public place like a large corporate chain-store?..

Or nearly any job that a Thai can do, for that matter?

I'm not challenging your story; I'm genuinely curious.

When you are a bit longer in Thailand,or maybe I should say whenever you will come to Thailand,you will find out that ALL the international concerns in Thailand are managed by farangs.

Wow..that was a completely assuming, condescending, and presumptuous reply. Completely.

So, according to you now, doughnuts are an international concern... yes?

(Now, I'm gonna challenge your story.. som nom na, khun!)

For the record, the date that someone creates an account on ThaiVisa isn't necessarily the date when they first started to have Thai experiences.

Case and point: I joined TV in Feb this year, but I've been traveling back and forth to Thailand since Feb, 2005, and been renting my own apartment in Bangkok (where I live with my girlfriend) for the last 2 years, and just came back to visit the US last week, after a 6 month-long continuous (with visa run) stay. In the last 5.5 years, I've shopped in Tesco-Lotuses, CarreFours, Big-Cs and Tops Markets from Bangkok to Pattaya to Rangsit to Koh Samui to Maha Sarakham.. and I've YET to see a Farang working at ANY of them! In just the last 6 months, I probably have shopped in a mega-store about twice a week (groceries, etc), so that's 48 times, just in the last 6 months.... and NO Farang Managers. I've also not seen a Farang working in any of the malls, foodcourts, movie theaters, bowling alleys, ice skating rinks, or amusement parks, either in or out of Bangkok. Not yet, in 5 and a half years.

I feel pretty sure that I know WHY I haven't seen any. One has only to read the Thai Government's rather extraordinary list of vocations that Farang are virtually NEVER allowed to do, to know why it's so hard to find a Farang working in a highly visible position especially in the service/retail industry.

I don't doubt that in private corporate offices, way up in the tops of tall glass and steel buildings (far from the public, and the loss of face it would cause for Thai's to have a Farang be "publicly higher and more powerful than a Thai is", right on the sales floor, in front of every Thai customer; both Hi and Lo-So) there are definitely some foreigners keeping tabs financially on what's happening with these international mega-chain stores.

However, I've definitely never seen a Farang working on the premises of a CarreFour retail store (during, or after hours... even in the parking lot, because I often shop at the end of the night), in either a store uniform, or a business suit. Maybe I've been lucky, and have just missed every single one of them, for 5+ years straight (not likely). Maybe I speak Thai and understand the culture well enough {that's likely} that I've never needed to have a purported "Farang Manager" come out from his hiding place, to solve simple issues (regarding bulk pricing or incorrect change) with the staff, for me (not likely either).

In fact, the only place that I can dimly recall seeing Farang working at (although I rarely need to go into one), would be huge international hotels, and that's understandable as there's very little loss of face when 90+% of the clientele are Farang tourists who are only too glad to see another Farang working there. (and as English teachers at international schools, of course)

So, this is a mystery (hence, my earnest question to you)... but please, don't patronize me and assume I'm some noob tourist that's "never even been" to Thailand.

I've not imagined that I've never seen Farang managers at CarreFour; and there's clear evidence as to why that's the case, so, I believe my question about the circumstances under which you found one to be out on the floor; working to solve "bakery issues", is fair and valid. Yes, there are undoubtedly Westerners at the CORPORATE level of some international companies currently conducting business in Thailand...... but at the retail level, charged with solving bulk price calculation disputes (possibly between Thai staff and other Higher-So customers)??? I think not, sir.

In fact, I'm sorry, but I think you've made this all up, (and then attempted to discredit me; unaware of the 5+ years I've spent in Thailand), just to try to sound self-important, and to support your questionable "uncountable doughnuts" story.

Searching back previously through your extensive (but recently trollish and antagonistic "one-liner") posts, I feel fairly sure that I've sorted you out, correctly.

So... has anyone ELSE been seeing "Farang managers" at the malls, movie theaters, mega-chain stores, etc, either in or outside of Bangkok, and if so, were they guiding their Thai employees in the art of brain-powered change calculation (or AHEM, pastry counting)?

If yes (and therefore I'm wrong), please tell me about it!

By the way, basjke.. if you story HAD been true (I mean, if there were really Farang Managers at CarreFour), the REASON you would have been 10 doughnuts short, was probably because you caused the female clerk to lose face (to a Farang, no less!) when you brought her boss into the situation, just to "correct/embarrass her" over a few baht's worth of pastries.. and she promptly retaliated by shorting you 10 doughnuts!

Try this one.At Carrefour they sell the donuts 8 baht a piece or 6 for 40 baht.Some time ago I needed 50 donuts for my boy to take school.I called the bakery servant and asked her if I could get them packed in 1 box.Of course this wasn't possible as 50 can not be divided by 6.After some meddling in from the Farang manager it was possible and she counted 50 times 8 Baht.Another involvement of the manager explained her that 40 Baht divided by 6 pieces multiplied by 50 was the correct sum.

So after that I got the correct price calculated and paid............Needless to say that when i arrived home I found only 40 donuts in the box.

Err.. the FARANG manager...??? Since when can a Farang do a Thai (managers) job, especially in a very obvious and public place like a large corporate chain-store?..

Or nearly any job that a Thai can do, for that matter?

I'm not challenging your story; I'm genuinely curious.

** We have evacuation plans for a third group of farangs that apparently have been singled out for persecution by novice monks. They should continue to wear Speedos with matching black socks until the human rights task force completes their investigation.

have you nothing else to do?

Yes, I'm busy organizing my Speedos and socks drawers. The maid won't do it. She hates me.

Gotta admit, you got a snicker out of me NaiGreg. Just please, I beg of you, for the love of God.

NO PHOTOS!

It's difficult enough to face the fact that there are humans that actually believe that Speedos are made for ANYTHING other than competition swimming, or keeping great wads of knee-length swimtrunk fabric from getting bunched up in the netheregions (and possibly strangling your little fella), while you're sheathed in a bodyhugging wetsuit during a deep scuba dive (in which case, the horrible stretchy things are well hidden under 3ml of neoprane, and yards and yards of hazy ocean; rendering the general public safe from them)

But what's worse, is to think that there are people that actually love (and honor and protect??) their Speedos to the point that if no one else will colorgroup, fold, and align them in a drawer, they'll have a near-OCD event, open the drawer, and brood and fuss over the little Lycra pickle-smugglers themseves.

Issues, people.. ISSUES!! Deal with your issues, before they deal with you!

Gahhh.. I just got a bad shiver.

JUST SAY NO!!

Sometimes my wife finishes a sentence with the word; jaa, like Sawadee jaa.

So there is Krup, Ka and Jaa.

I don`t have a bladdy clue and this is all making my brain hurt. Anyway, ignorance is bliss.

I'm not an expert, but I'll share what I've learned...

Jaa is a cuter, sweeter version of Ka. Usually used (by girls) with an intimate friend (and definitely used by ladyboys). If you're a guy, you can say it, but it better only be with your GF, or you'll be in trouble for sure.

While on the subject, "Na" is a sentence particle, that just softens what might otherwise end up sounding harsh or brash (or like a barked order). On a side note, ladyboys sometimes change "Na" to "Jyah" (so don't say it, or it'll sound strange).

To further confuse things, you can sometimes hear Na and Jaa used serialy..as in:

"อย่าลืมโทรหาฉันหลังจาก, นะ จ้ะ" (yàa leum toh hăa chăn lăng jàak, ná jâ) which changes "Don't forget to call me later" (as a harsh, barked order), into "Would you not forget to call me later, hon?"

And Na and Krap (or Ka) can be used in the same way:

"เช็คบิล, นะ ครับ" (check bin ná kráp) which changes "Gimme the check" into "May I have the check please, sir"?

If you wanna go completely off the deep end of respect and politeness, then add "ครับผม" (kráp pŏm) to the end of a sentence, which is the Thai equivalent of "My Lord / My Lady". Use it for someone that's really important, or when you're deeply, profoundly grateful to someone.

Something's clearly wrong here. Perhaps the OP's just not posting all the info (for some bizarre reason),

If a story don`t make sense, than it`s not true. That`s the laws of physics.

Could this be the big Daddy of all the trolls?

I was curious enough to look at Martin's old posts and if this is phoney then he has been setting it up for 7 months...posting about his wife and son. Martin, I think there may be a clue when you said that your wife works and you stay with your son except on the 30th when you two had a fight. You said your wife had to put Tristan in a nursery so she could get to work, so I figure you had stormed off or something, yes? So what's the odds that she rang her mum in tears about all this sometime that day and then...who knows what happened but I think you maybe need to start telling the whole truth, even if it makes you look like a ??

I have read every post in this thread and don't remember seeing anything about the couple having a fight.

Where did you get this info from?

Not that it is relevant if the Grandmother is holding the child without consent of either parent.

He looked back through the OP's old posts (IN OTHER THREADS) here on TV, and traced his "story" up to the 30th's fight.

The TGF says:

If you're not a beginner Thai speaker (whereas a Thai girl might be trying to instruct or lead you to use Krap), or a Thai baby boy, they're most likely a tomboy girl (in tinglish; a "Tom", or a "Butch") trying to project a male vibe/persona.

But there's another time when a reversal of gender specific words (Kaa/Krap) occurs:

Intimate couples can trade Kaa and Krap usage with each other. For some reason (maybe because it's a private word game that is exclusively played with your lover), it's just considered really cute to Kaa your girlfriend, and likewise have her Krap you back.

Really good male-female friends can do it too, but it's not common, unless it's part of a joke, or some overt performance. Usually, it's just for romantically involved couples.

The GF and I steal and then use each other's Kaa & Krap all the time, especially on the phone.

It's perfectly ok do it in public too, unless you (for some reason) don't want the people around you to know you're intimate with that person.

Note to Mod: Perhaps this thread would be better situated in a Thai Language or Culture Forum..?

The OP's son was taken 2 MONTHS ago, and he's just starting to explore the ThaiVisa version of an "Amber Alert", NOW?????

What's an Amber Alert? It's a missing child emergency announcement system currently in use (with a decent success rate) in the USA. Please see this link: Amber Alert

Amber Alerts are issued within hours (usually 3) of a reported child abduction, not 2 months. In 2008, 68% of Alerts issued resulted in the recovery of a child within 24 hours of the Alert. 81% recovery, within 72 hours.

I don't have a child (just an adorable 1 year old nephew-in-law), but I don't need one to know that I'd be broadcasting desperately (to every person, tv station, website, police station, local government, and foreign embassy that I could possibly contact), WITHIN 2 MINUTES of learning that neither I, my GF (or wife, in the OP's case), nor anyone that I'd designated had direct eyes on my baby.

My Baby is lost????? 2 minutes.. not 2 months.

(That, and there's obviously huge gaping holes in the information he's providing regarding the circumstances of the abduction)

Even harder to swallow (without deliberately getting political) is the suggestion that every/any police department was "too busy" during the Redshirt Demonstrations (which only took place in some parts of Bangkok) to pursue his abducted baby complaints. In fact, as there are now police that are being removed from their posts (specifically because of their INACTIVITY / "unwillingness to act" during the protests), it's hard to imagine not being able to find many police departments that would have had officers who were free to move forward on a missing baby case, as it's now patently clear that the police weren't doing a heck of a lot during the protests. (Especially a Luuk Krung {Thai/Anglo} baby, who's western father could bring additional unwanted international attention on how bad Thailand really is.

Something's clearly wrong here.

Perhaps the OP's just not posting all the info (for some bizarre reason), but notwithstanding that, a 2 month delay before sending out the alarm on his abducted son?? Something's VERY wrong.

Why don't they have ladies giving massage at the urinals?

I bet the tips would shoot up!

See, the problem is, that's not all that would "shoot up".. (which can be quite an inconvenience when you genuinely need to pee). And, since there are already places where that service can be found, to put it in the men's bathroom would just be redundant.