donna

Sure Blue Boy.

Ding dong the witch is dead!

or

Free Bird - Lynard Skynard

1. The Mean Greenies in Bangkok.

2. Those plastic clippy cloppy shoes that the girls wear that they can't seem to walk in...clip clop clip clop...

3. The tuk-tuk scam man in Banglampoo with the shoulder length greasy hair and pants pulled up to his chest who hangs around the 7-11 on the corner of Soi Rambutree and Thanon Tanee.

Does anyone know the location of any Thai Dancing schools? A web address is fine as I can look them up.

Any location is fine, too. Bangkok, Chiang Mai, or in the south.

Thanks.

Yeah. I think that the pill can cause hair loss.

Good luck.

ofoto.com

I had that problem a while back. My hair was falling out like crazy. The only thing I could put it down to was stress. I had had malaria and I think that the hair loss was my body's way of fixing the things that needed fixing (like my liver and spleen), and not bothering with the stuff that could regenerate easily (like hair and nails).

I tried massaging my head daily for about 10 minutes to stimulate the follicles, but it didn't work.

I think that vitamin supplements may help, but aren't too sure of which ones. You could google it and find out maybe.

Honeyen, you were in Phuket after the Tsunami, is that right? If that is you, then maybe you have post-stress syndrome of some kind.

These are just my theories and based on nothing scientific, but they make sense to me.

Good luck.

Try using a women's public toilet first before deciding Thai women are spotlessly clean. More often than not I have to flush someone else's sh!t before using the toilet.

Absolutely amazing why some people can't figure out how to flush a toilet, doesn't seem to matter if it is flushing toilet or a bucket of water down the hole type either. And many women I have seen do not wash their hands after going to the toilet but do spend ages making sure their hair is alright.

Here here, SBK. I have worked with many Thai women, and they definitely don't all wash their hands afterwards. Bus stations are notorious for brown bits leftover in the bowls. Yuk.

Other hygiene matters that happen are too gross to mention on this forum. Lets just say that some people are absolutely disgusting. But I am not saying that this is only Thais. God no. I've seen it back home too. It's people in general. No matter what race they may be.

Nose picking - definitely seen it.

Eating it - definitely seen it.

I guess they don't want wet hands coz it might mess up their hair!

A very sad day indeed.

I read somewhere this week that depression is the 'common cold' of the mental health world. (hope it wasn't in the above article or I'll feel like a dill).

I have a friend with a mental illness and it's such a hard thing. I never knew anything was up when she first became ill. Even now, she will be going along fine and then something just snaps and she goes off.

Very scary. Such a sad waste of a talented gifted man.

I hope he finds peace now.

Normally I buy food on the way home from work. Anything goes.

But a home made naam prik ong on top of spaghetti is great!

Sorry if this is in the wrong forum, but any Australians or Kiwis reading the forum should know this. It's a sad day.

What a waste of a talented musician. May he rest in peace now.

Rock legend dies

By Nui Te Koa and Kathy McCabe

March 28, 2005

LEGENDARY Crowded House drummer Paul Hester was found dead yesterday in a public park.

Hester, 46, the father of two young girls, failed to return from walking his two dogs, Stan and Rose, on Saturday night.

Police later found his body in Elsternwick park near his Melbourne home. They said there were no suspicious circumstances and friends said they had been unaware of Hester having been depressed.

Last night, former Crowded House members, singer Neil Finn and bassist Nick Seymour, said they were reeling from the tragedy.

"I am devastated," Finn told The Daily Telegraph from London. "I have lost one of my best mates."

Finn, on tour with his brother Tim, is due to start four dates at the Royal Albert Hall in London, but may postpone the performances to fly to Melbourne today.

As news of Hester's death swept Sydney's Cockatoo Island Festival last night, You Am I singer Tim Rogers dedicated a song to the drummer during his set.

Split Enz and Crowded House members were contacted by Peter Green, from Neil Finn's office, yesterday. "I can't imagine a sadder day than today," Mr Green, Hester's long-time friend, said last night.

"I feel for Paul's little girls. We are still, all of us, asking why?"

Mr Green said Hester, a perennial joker on stage and off, had been in good spirits in recent times. "Paul had some dark moments. Some good days and some bad days, like all of us," Mr Green said.

Hester had returned from Dublin two weeks ago, where he enjoyed an upbeat visit with former Crowdies bassist, Nick Seymour.

"It was all good," Seymour said from Dublin last night. "The last words Paul told me were: 'I love you, mate. See you in town [Melbourne] in a month'."

Hester quit Crowded House in 1994, but had reinvented himself into a drummer-for-hire, cafe owner and charismatic frontman of MusicMax Sessions on Foxtel. Hester also played drums in Split Enz from 1983 to 1984.

He lived in Elwood - a fashionable bayside suburb of Melbourne - with his girlfriend, Mardi Sommerfeld, and their two daughters, aged 10 and 8.

Mr Green dismissed music industry speculation that Hester was battling illness at the time of his death.

"Paul never said anything about that and I never, ever, heard he was suffering from any illness," he said. "Then, after today, I wonder if anybody really knew anything."

Last night, music industry leaders were in mourning for a drummer, who, in Crowded House, cracked the US market with the 1987 hit, Don't Dream It's Over.

"We have lost a mate," Mr Green said. "We have lost the heart and soul of Crowded House.

"I know how much Paul loved his kids, I know how much he loved life. None of this makes sense. Anyone who saw Hessie at his finest knew he grabbed life by the balls.

"People who worked with Paul are in tatters. Neil Finn wants to come home, but we have urged him to stay in London and do the shows for Paul."

Hester performed with the Finns during their national tour late last year.

"When Paul played those shows, it was like it should be," Mr Green said.

Hester was born and raised in Melbourne. His father, Mulga Mike Hester, was a legendary bushman and his mother, Ann, a jazz drummer.

Hester joined Split Enz in 1983, then, with Neil Finn formed Crowded House. In 2003, Hester and Seymour joined forces in the band, Tarmac Adam.

A toasted sandwich with egg, cheese and bacon does the trick. And it's gotta have butter on top too. Mmmm...

There was one fairly recently about two American girls who were tricked into smuggling heroin and got arrested.

One of the girls took the rap and was sentenced to life.  The other one went free.

Not too bad actually but I can't think of the name right now...

I think it was Breakdown Palace.

A friend is currently in hospital, he has a fever and his skin is turning yellow, is this dengue?

The hospital did a blood test but they arnt telling us whats wrong with him (local up country hospital), I think they don't know, all they've said is that he has to stay in hospital.

He's on a drip and they want him to take paracetamol but hes not taking them.

He's supposed to be flying home on saturday, will they let him fly?

Could be malaria. I've had it a few times and my liver blew up to the size of a football (apparently). Hurt like ######. Not just the liver. Everywhere.

If it is his first time, the chances of dignosing it are less than the second time around. Don't know why this is, it just is.

Tell him to take the paracaetamol as if they aren't giving him anything else for the pain it's better than nothing at all.

Drink HEAPS of water.

And if the whole family is in there (is he Thai?) tell them to bugger off and let him get some rest.

Thanks for that, Gazza. I appreciate your information. Have you been to Chachoengsao and Prachinburi? Anything there worth seeing aside from the usual temples and river cruises?

I'd like to know about places off the well beaten tourist trail and am having a hard time of it because most things on the web and in the guidebooks sound pretty touristy. Does anyone know of places to visit in Thailand that are a little quirky, perhaps, or just not overflowing with tourists?

For that matter, if anyone has any ideas of little known places that are really interesting to visit, could you either post here or PM me with the info? I am trying to put a trip together for some friends that will take them to some really out of the way places that will take them all over Thailand.

I would like to send them to Chachoengsao and Prachinburi too, so if anyone has anything to tell me about these places I would really appreciate it.

Thanks for any help you can give me.

Thanks for the advice, guys. I really appreciate it.

Scouse, sounds like you may just need that medicinal nip or two just to get through the experience!

Thanks again.

I am needing some info about Singburi. What to see there, where to stay, etc. Does anyone on this forum live there, and if so, are you able to help me?

Thanks.

In reply to Chrisdepel, if you are going to NOT come to Thailand because of a 20% fare increase on the Chao Phraya ferry service, you don't deserve to come here in the first place.

Surely Belgium has no price freezes for 5 years, and things are much more expensive.

Would you absorb such fuel increases if you were running the business? I highly doubt it.

I did a run yesterday with Jacks Golf. They were really good. Very professional, bus was good (smelly toilet though), food was OK for a buffet and it was all in all a pleasant experience (for a visa run).

My boyfriend is happy to give me a peck on the lips in public. It shocked me the first time he did it, but now I am fine with it (god, it's a bit of a role reversal here, I think!).

Of course he wouldn't go the grope or anything like that (thank god) but he is more than happy for a quick peck hello or goodbye.

I have recently had surgery of my shoulder. It was arthroscopic and it bloody hurts. My surgerywas on November 25 and I am still struggling with many every day things and have pain every morning when I wake up. I cannot sleep on the side which was operated on and am at the physio every 2 days.

I would suggest that you get the shoulder as flexible as you possibly can before the operation. You will lose a lot of it due to the nature of the operation and because of the pain you will be struggling to move it fully within a month or two. Stretch is as much as you can beforehand. And I mean REALLY stretch it. You will be made to stretch it every day by your physio. I find that holding a towel/sarong etc behind my back with the dodgy arm and pulling it up with my good arm is the best (but very painful) stretch to do.

You will need to build up your biceps again but if you have good strength in the first place you will have a good head start.

Good luck, Piggy!

Your story is one of pure compassion and love for fellow human beings. May you be blessed with love and happiness for the rest of your life.

I cannot imagine what you must have gone through and pray that the images you have seen in the past few weeks don't stay with you forever.

Your courage and sensitivity during this horrible time should be commended and I know that everyone reading your article would be proud of you.

Take care of yourself. The world needs you.

I recommend Bumrungrad for everything. I think they are pretty good and have stayed there on a few occasions.

Dr Niyom in the skin centre is great and you won't get any run around from him. I trust him.

Baan Naam Khem is an excellent selection. I have friends who live there, and after 10 days have just found out that they are all alive and well. Most of them work in Koh Kho Khao Resort and I received a phone call today to tell me that everyone who works at the resort are OK. Apparently there were many tourists sleeping in their rooms and the staff went to warn them of the impending wave and they were not taken seriously. So, I can only assume that they perished. Very sad.

I will more than likely go there in the next 2 weeks to hug all of my friends and tell them how happy I am to see them. I will also be taking some clothing and basic necessities to them.

Excellent work, bentrein.