alaina

Another thanks, I had been looking for that page after losing my bookmarks to an idiot at Panthip.

I'm curious to see how it would work out, so hey, go for it.

I'll take a guess, even though I'm female.

People are told to fit into their gender roles and clothing and rejecting that may be part of the appeal. And yes, straight men can do this as well as gay men. Really, what is the harm in a male wearing "women's clothing" besides offending a few people's delicate sensibilities. After all, isn't it a little silly to say that men shouldn't take bubble baths or drink daiquiri drinks too?

they always play indie, and brit pop?

where exactly the place is?

do they hv web?

club culture it's more a DJ and electronic dance music place. wide range of different styles and some very good international guests as well. but not boring mainstream so you could put it also in a "indie" context. nothing "mass entertainment"-oriented, and they have a really dancefloor and it is not full of tables for the whisky mixer drinker. more western style.

http://www.club-culture-bkk.com/

http://www.myspace.com/club_culture_bkk

if you a looking for a indie, brit pop party you should check out 'Club Soma'

http://www.myspace.com/clubsomabkk

nice DJ team of 2 thai ladies and 2 english gentlemens

check the myspace of them and you get an idea what kind of music they are playing.

they throw a party montly on different locations and have a good crowd follow them.

and the presenter of this rock night of this topic have been more that team from "mind the gap" then club culture.

http://www.myspace.com/mindthegapbkk

they told me the the next party will be on 4th july . but i don't know yet what and where it will exactly be. but i guess another concert show with different bands.

it was really fun that night, perfect organised. and if you like to see some thai indie bands watch out what will coming next.

this weekend see you at supperbed. french dj joakim

http://www.lafete-bangkok.com/french_flair.html

I've been to bed a bunch of times and I have to agree with popcorn. Had a look at Soma, and it looks great! I had no idea that there were many people that have even heard of some of the bands they listed. I'll check it out next free night I have, thanks.

You don't mention how your husband feels about moving. It is important that he also wants to move here, and even then Thailand is not an easy place to live long-term for a foreigner. If he has problems dealing with Thailand, you will get some of the blame. He may also be concerned about your child's education.

Many Americans that can afford it move before a child gets to be old enough to go to public school. They pick a town to live in based on how good the schools are. School is free and parents can get involved with the PTA and school board. There aren't many international schools in Rayong and top schools often charge about 250K plus fees (many charge more too.) That's a big expense and it may result in your family's standard of living becoming lower in Thailand than it was in the US.

Many of the Central department stores have a home furnishing section of Thai style things, give that a try if you are looking for something a bit nicer than stuff from the night markets. You could also get some of those Thai silk pillow cases at the night markets, usually around 100-200 baht (but I figure you are looking for something a bit pricier.) I usually buy loads of them as gifts before I go for a visit and people think that I've spent a bit on them. (I do tell them that it's not as much as they think.)

Yeah, they are probably still floating around and the M.O. is usually the same as the OP describes.

I don't mind the few people who need a thousand baht before payday, as they do have jobs and most times I get the money back. I do wonder how they can live hand to mouth in a foreign country, but that's not really my business.

I did help someone else out once and it turned into a total disaster. He was hardly a good friend, but he had no good friends (now I know why.) After it was clear that I wasn't going to help him out anymore, he tried to scam every one of my friends then ended up in a boiler room, working and sleeping there.

There's a very short list of people that I'll lend any real amount of money to. Sometimes all it takes is giving a deadbeat a small loan and expect it back. Suddenly the deadbeat is gone!

Due to a computer problem, I lost all my website bookmarks. I had just found a few websites that had Bangkok bar and restaurant listings, some even had decent maps to each location, happy hour specials and listed live music.

Can anybody recommend some websites that have these features, preferably not ones that are only directed at tourists.

I find that the egos of some doctors get in the way of treatment as well. More often than not, going to a doctor with a respiratory infection means coming out with a bag of pills with no real diagnosis given. Many times, I haven't even been examined, just handed pills. I'd rather wait an hour and have a real appointment than to be in and out of the office in ten minutes. I just go to the pharmacy most times now because it's the same thing but cheaper.

I had a serious injury and spent a week in the hospital in BKK. The pills that they gave me to sleep were antidepressants and addictive, and I had never even complained about not being able to sleep. It took me two days of withdrawal without sleep to get off of them and the doctor basically told me I think too much when I complained about it.

The post-injury care I received was a joke here and I changed hospitals many times. Doctors kept telling me I was fine, and I was not otherwise I would not have been seeking treatment. I think it depends on the specialization that a patient is needs, as some are considered more prestigious than others and the lesser ones tend to have less skillful doctors. I finally went to Malaysia for care and was satisfied with what I received there. The Malaysian doctors (and granted, they are biased) said that they see people from Thailand often and the complaints are similar to mine about Thai doctors.

I do think that doctors everywhere make mistakes and I know that Thailand is better than most places in terms of quality. But the culture of not questioning the authority of a doctor and not complaining prevent doctors from getting the full picture from their patients.

P.S. The Thai Hospitals I went to are considered "the best" in Thailand. I was not trying to cut costs and Malaysia was about the same in terms of cost.

eslcafe.com

teflwatch.org

in the job posting section on their forum. Note that posters on that forum are allowed to comment on your ad, so you may not want to post it there depending on the job.

There are two blacklists, one is the Ministry of Education's and it bars teachers from getting a license. That one absolutely does exist, and a teacher who breaks a contract, works on a fake degree, commits a crime or has been found to have a criminal record can be put on it... but only by an accredited MOE school and only if the teacher works legally. I have met the MOE official who is in charge of the list and I know it exists. It's difficult, but hardly impossible to be removed from the list and if a teacher gives good reasons to the MOE for breaking a contract they can be removed from the list.

The other is between private bilingual schools, and I also do believe it exists but I have never seen the list. I know people who say they have seen it, and enough details have added up between their stories for me to believe them. From what I have heard, some schools list a reason about the teacher and others don't; the list is periodically circulated between school owners. It is up to the owner whether or not they hire anybody who is on the list and the reasons that are given are almost always taken with a grain if salt. It was two years ago when I last heard about the list and it is possible that it no longer exists, it's much harder to fill teaching jobs now that degrees are being checked.

Many schools will threaten a teacher who is leaving with all sorts of things but often do not follow through. Why schools think that people will want to stay after being threatened is just craziness. If a school finds out where the leaving teacher is going next, they will sometimes call and badmouth them. Most schools also now this is how it is here and don't pay much attention to it. Really, there isn't much more they can do but threaten you.

Thailand does have strict laws against slander and it might not hurt to let your former school know that you are aware of this. I also learned the hard way that the Western way of professionally quitting a job often does not work here. Most people either leave for a "personal emergency" or just never show up again. Employers seem to go easier on people who leave this way

I left my mobile phone in a taxi and had it returned to my house that night at the end of his shift. I offtered 500 bt. (which was about what the old thing was worth) and was turned down for the reward even though I lived a ways from the driver's house.

The only time I had things stolen from me was in a Pattaya hotel, when I left the door latched but ajar. A cheap watch and few small things by the door were taken. When I asked the front desk, they said they probably knew who it was and told me to ask again tomorrow. The next day, the Thai wife of a long-term resident of the hotel explained that her foreign husband has a "problem" and begged me not to call the police. I figured it wasn't worth the trouble and didn't, but she never gave me the cash she offered me either. Maybe I should have called.

On the other hand, a friend living on a BKK mooban had her house robbed at night while she was sleeping. She woke up to find the robber had a huge knife. She backed off and he left with the DVD player, some DVD's and a few other small things. She was terrified after that though.

Most of the theft from foreigners I hear about here is either by other foreigners or in houses with little or no security. Funny thing is that the same seems to be true for Japanese foreigners, they tend to get robbed by other Japanese people. I lived in a condo with some Japanese residents and many of them got robbed in a short period of time. When the thief was caught, he was Japanese.

I hope that you find the answer to your question, but I'll take a guess.

I have heard that Thailand does have laws that award women child support, but I'm not familliar with any specific cases. England certianly does have laws to award child support, but you may have to go there. Hopefully somebody that is a lawyer or more familiar with the laws will come along soon.

The problems will be waiting for the legal systems to make a judgement and the judgement being enforced. If he doesn't have money or any that can be found (if he's working illegally or is hiding money) you can't get what government can't find.

Good luck

anybody who knows anything about thailand knows that this is the quickest way to be possibly murdered for your stupid actions. ( spitting in a thais face.)

And can you show me any proof that this 32 year old Israeli spit in a Thai's face?

Like I said this is speculation, by someone on the forum who had a friend who was SUPPOSEDLY there. And let's pretend this friend was in fact there. Was this guy in proximity of the incident to actually see and hear what was going on? Was this person witness to everything before and after? I mean how reliable is this so-called friend (How many drinks did he have)? Say the Israeli guy really did spit in the face of a Thai, was this the Israeli who even got stabbed?

Also, none of you are mentioning this: "The suspects include the son of a local politician, who has a bad reputation for bothering foreigners." Sounds to me like this guy has had problems in the past, yet most of you seem to be saying (maybe not condoning) that the Israeli kind of got what he had coming to him. Who's to say the a Thai guy didn't provoke the whole mess. Because right now I haven't read a single article stating that anyone spit in anyone's face.

Maybe we should just wait until more facts on the matter come out before we judge too much. I think it's a very sad state when a disagreement (regardless of who started it) could lead to murder. Just glad my wife and I up here in Chiang Mai stay far away from the bars.

Sorry for the aside, but..

While I admire the idea that you are waiting for "the facts", I think that sbk's post is as valid as anything you'll end up reading in the news. Just take a look at the Thai papers, and drop by the FCC, their info on this will hardly be "fact" either. They just have more ink.

Okay, how about a quick google to explain:

This is being checked out. A friendly hello would probably be harmless.

The safe bet would be that a friendly hello while being looked at in this manner would end up meaning more than hello. Go for it if that's what you want.

I don't think the looks the OP is talking about is the same as a simple look in her direction. It's an entirely different thing for a man to look at a woman, appreciating how she looks, and a man who is doing something intimidating to a woman. There are many different nonverbal messages that are interpreted differently, and living in a different culture makes it confusing to figure out if they are being interpreted correcly.

It's not an attack against men to wonder what to do in this situation. It's a concern for a woman's safety. I don't think there is a right answer to the OP, except to follow your instincts, that is very important. Maybe have a Thai man you know talk to the guys if they are in your neighborhood.

I didn't follow my instincts once, when I was new to Bangkok and still in the honeymoon stage. A tuk-tuk driver was leering at me and I needed to get home. I figured that it was my imagination, and took a ride home anyways. He continued to leer at me at every red light. I finally wised up and got out a ways from my home and just paid him. He did try to grab me once I was out; I put 1155 in my phone, showed that to him and ran away. I was lucky that nothing more happened, and I almost never take tuk-tuks now.

And before you even ask, I was wearing jeans and a t-shirt.

Sometimes a leer is a sign that someone will become aggressive, and it is not unreasonable that a woman will interpret it that way. This look is not a glance, or being checked out, it is entirely different. It's too bad that there are bad guys out there who make women have to think that their safety in in jeopardy, but there are. And yes, a few guys that do not have any intension of hurting a woman may be misinterpreted by how they look at a woman. But if a woman feels threatened, should she worry about her own safety or possibly hurting someone's feelings?

The scenario prompted the government to announce a "good society for children" policy with a national committee on safe and constructive media to oversee television, radio, telephone services, the Internet and movies.

Great, another "Think about the children" justification.

Are they trying to say that medical tourists are "not the class" the TOT want? Who would come here for surgery with even less assurance that it will be done right?

Are you sure that her going back permanently was premeditated? Yes, a text is not a good way of communicating something so important, so I also agree that you need to talk face to face.

I'm content in Thailand and was unhappy in the US, but when I went back for a visit, it was more emotional than I expected. Even the crap airport I arrived in felt like home, and my friends were frendlier than ever. I felt like I been had missing things there, even though few things had changed. I can imagine that these type of feelings would be much stronger if I were unhappy here.

Perhaps something similar came over her when she went for an intended visit.

Hi, I just wanted to know if someone has an ideea of any company to help me move into the new apartment I rented, I just need some small company or something as I don't have too much stuff, just a sofa, a fridge, tv sets, etc...

Try T-Intermovers.. they have no website, but they can be contacted at:

moving@ [don't spam them] mweb.co.th

They will pack for you too. If you only have one pickup worth of stuff, you should get a rate around 2K.

Most of the boat taxi guys on the island carry a bag, usually a small string purse/bag (often sold at tourist places and the weekend market). Holds their money and their phone. No Thai person gives two shakes about it. Seems to me too many Western men are too hung up on what other people think of their sexuality and invest that in what bag they do or don't carry.

If you want a bag for your stuff and you are pleased with it (or your friend does ) Go for it, I say

Exactly. Does having too much stuff to carry for pockets but not enough for a briefcase have anything at all to do with a man's sexual preference? (Or bubblebaths, or umbrella drinks, or skin care...) It's silly really.

Yes... <sigh> but many a true word is spoken in jest....

Regards

PS Mods is this a news item now rather than a 'techie' one?

Yup, even after I got into youtube.com, many Thai related videos won't load. Most of the ones on the coup won't load, as well as most on nightlife here.

This government obviously has alot of skeletons in the closet.

What's next, censoring google "China style" ?

Seems that way to me.

I found that youtube was blocked when I followed a link on a popular Thailand Blog. The link said that the video was shot outside nana plaza at closing time from a hidden camera. Perhaps a bit unsavory, but nothing pornographic, just people walking down the street. I found that most of the videos posted by the guy that filmed video are blocked now.

Sorry if it sounds like I'm being vague, I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post the name of the blog or the person who filmed that.

I really like the Malaysia policy toward Israelis. It makes me feel much more comfortable and anxious for my trips there. It's a real homey feel I get there. I have had many quality conversations with everyday Malaysians, bashing Israel and Hollywood. Loads and loads of fun really. No need to look over my shoulder fearing some lib is overhearing me

I've heard the best places to complain about Israel and Hollywood, are Israel and Hollywood. You know all about Jews and their kvetching

It is so nice to read some positive stories from the girls about Thai men. There's a lot of negative sentiments toward Thai men, but I rarely hear it from women who have had LTR's with them, or at least enough first-hand information to have a valid opinion.

Never had great experiences myself, but I've had too few of them to be relevant in helping advise someone else.

Thanks for sharing.