theblether

It's amazing how so many "high IQ" western men get ripped off by uneducated rice farmers daughters. 

The answer lies within the Dunning-Kruger effect. You may be able to wire a plug but she knows how to wire you to the moon. The one skill that Thais have that we westerners do not is the inate ability to live within their society, knowing their place and limitations. We westerners have a lot to learn  

I won 3,860 baht in November, that's the second time I've done that. A syndicate of Thai pals won just over a million baht January 22. What's your best win on the lottery? 

 there's no secret. The law has been in place for centuries and was confirmed by Parl;iament in 1925. All you have to do is make a will and this clause is bypassed. 

1 hour ago, Toolong said:

Oh, by the way, is it a genuine NO-commercial thing? 

Or...will I still sometimes hear that 'shopee' horror, but just less often?

 

I ask, because I would prefer NO commercials like that ever again! 🙂

I don't see any adverts. I don't know how anyone can tolerate the adverts, especially when they interrupt videos/songs. 

23 hours ago, Morch said:

Oh dear....

 

"theblether is typing..."

Be quiet. Adults are talking. 

1883 was excellent. 

"Bones" on Netflix was so dire I had to watch it to the end. Utter garbage, woke nonsense, rotten acting and storyline. 

16 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

LOL. There will always be women that choose the easy way to riches. They may be a tad older though.

You need to be touched in the head if you think the granny brigade will save the Thai sex trade. 

11 hours ago, redwood1 said:

 

Yes it is critical for the birth rate to rise so there will be Thai women to work in GoGo bars....Is anything more important? I think not...
 

Thai women should be paid to have children...

Did you read my post as bemoaning the end of the sex trade? It's already in a crashing death spiral. 

1 hour ago, soalbundy said:

In my area in Isaan there are kids everywhere, the wife's mother is a great grandmother many times over.

The Isaan birth rate used to be six children per mother. How many mothers do you know that have six kids now? 

21 hours ago, TigerandDog said:

Nordo get your facts correct. Mong did NOT run off. They BOTH chose to close the shop and they reopened in Phrao, which is where I met them both and had Stu do some work on my MTB.  Some time after that they separated and Stu closed the shop, but not until he had sold most of his stock. 

Correct. I bought four bikes direct from Stuart as he closed down his shop in Phrao. Mong delivered the bikes to my home. Mong was involved in the destocking of the business. 

Also correct to say that Stuart only works to the highest standard. IMO he is the best cycle maintenance expert in CM. He is ( or was ) besieged by Cheap Chsrlie clowns. The last I spoke to him he was trying to narrow his customer base. If you want your cycle repaired to the highest standard, Stuart is your man. 

The 1930 US census listed a mere 18 Siamese nationals living in the USA. I find it amazing that there were on 18 Thais in the USA then as there had been so much emigration from Asia to the USA that Congress brought in anti- Chinese ( in particular ) legislation. Also, the USA already had a 90 year history of diplomatic relations with Siam ( Thailand ) by 1930. You'd have thought there would have been a lot more Siamese in the USA.

The current legal figure of Thais in America is around 350,000. The divorce rate among that community is again, only a mere 18%. I find that hard to believe. I thought getting divorced was a national sport in the USA. 

Oh, and according to Pew Research, 39% of Thais in the US are single or never married. So if you are American and looking fir a Thai wife, no need to fly across the world. 

#justsayin'

Sideswiped, and taken out from behind, two of the more common causes of fatalities while riding motorcycles.  The tragic loss of the late, lamented KMcV in CM a prime example. I confess I stare at my rear view mirror when waiting at traffic lights. Too many clowns texting while driving. 

All the best with your recovery.

59 minutes ago, stament said:

This is an old post but I wondered if the incidents described are still happening in Chiang Mai today?

These guys walked into a restaurant at Thapae Gate late 2012/early 2013. They harassed the female owner, the farang husband was on standby in case it got violent. The owners brother, your typical country boy walked in unexpected and saw his sister intimidated. He exploded, these clowns crapped it and backed off. 

A few days later the main man ( I forget his name ) took a heavy kicking and from  possibly flawed memory, landed in the moat. The female big mouth of the scam group ran for her life. She was notorious, evil. 

I knew the brother I mentioned earlier and can testify to that incident. There I no doubt the ßecond story is also true. I haven't heard anything about them since in CM. Others may know more. 

My "greatest" memory of the incident was the farang husband noting his all-wise and supposedly strong wife shrunk into submissive rice farmers daughter mode while her supposedly feckless brother terrified these scammers. The farang learned a lot that night. 

As someone mentioned earlier in the thread, one day they walked into the wrong place. 

What I will say is that military coip of 2014 eradicated a lot of the systematic scamming. Several notorious and high profile business were permanently closed. The coup also damaged CM nightlife and it has never recovered. CM today is a different place from when this OP was posted. 

I've just finished watching. Episode 2 in particular is brutal. I know football is an emotional game and long may that continue, however, what happened to Beckham was a disgrace. Overall it was a very good and informative watch. Talking points included:

1. It appears he inherited his OCD personality traits from his dad. 

2. Alex Ferguson is a sociopath. The way he dismissed Beckham and refused to talk to him was a disgrace. 

3. The Real Madrid players were comical, and seemed to take a shine to Beckham - except for the ridiculous amount of publicity and extra work he brought them. 

4. And there's no doubt he loves Victoria. 

However, that second episode would leave a scar on anyone, we Scots are known for being crabbit at times, but dear me - the English know how to hold a grudge. Shocking. 

Out on a saunter one day with an effervescent and charismatic friend we happened to pass a house that was the scene of a horrific familial murder. The son cracked up and sent his parents plus sister to the next life. The good news is his dog escaped and continued life as a back-door opportunist, fathering many a mangy street pup. 

The house in question was glorious, a real Thai mansion, not a McMansion built in the backwoods by a deluded farang. As we passed, a brave squatter emerged, brave for two reasons, one - he was living in a murder house! and two, it was falling to pieces, I was convinced he was going to be clocked on the napper by a falling piece of masonry. He could easily have been a plus one to the death tally of said mansion. 

Do you believe in ghosts? have you ever taken advantage of your Thai partners superstitious nature, maybe by suggesting that the land she is set on buying has bad juju? Do you think that spirits hang around, waiting to swoop after a few years ( for example, ten years ) on unsuspecting forum members - a blast from the past, a mythological creature reborn? ( ie, me ). 

Or are you the more practical sort, just like the dog that ran for its life and became a stud? No doubt this post raise a few evil spirits, such is. 

ps - hello. 

All the best GH, and I hope it comes off. I must say I find myself in similar circumstances so there will be a reduction or halt to my posting for a while. I'm back in Glasgow, friends and family are rightly calling on my time, and I have to get my company set for Christmas.

On top of that I'm trying to get the children's books ready for Christmas too, so I'll bow out now as well.

See you all In December.

My plans are in flux Patsy, I may still be here at Christmas, I'll let you know. I love Edinburgh at Christmas on a sharp frosty night. Beautiful.

When do you arrive in Edinburgh Patsy? I think I'm flying to Prague December 8th.

It is true that a lot of Thailand's economy is underpinned by personal debt, both legal and from illegal money lenders. I have seen some absurd Debt To Income ratios. There's also plenty of reports in the Thai community of people being beaten and worse ( acid attacks in some cases ) for non payment of gambling and loan sharking debts. I know of one case where a woman borrowed 5,000 baht due to business failure and was to repay 6,000 baht 30 days later. She didn't have it and had to go borrow smaller amounts from family to repay the 6,000. So what did she then do? being broke again, she borrowed the 5,000 again from the sharks and off went the whole vicious circle again.

This type of story is far more common in Thailand than most farangs would believe. Then again most farangs in Thailand live in a bubble so how would they know anyway?

I think you are the one living in a bubble (your fan club would obviously disagree).

What has this got to do with obesity in Thailand BTW - you are so off-topic that the off-topic police will be paying you a visit soon.

What makes you feel you are so superior to everyone else? your answers are usually rubbish bordering on nonsense on occasions!!

You stay in your bubble as I wouldn't like to be in there with you.

Seems to me I answered the recent diversion of the topic on to economic matters, and I can read that you were also on that topic. If I am off topic I'm only following your lead.

Incidentally, I see you have gone on another woeful personal attack. just be quiet. Anyone reading the topic can see your merely being argumentative and obtuse.

I suppose it is good to see that you have'nt employed one of your sub-lieutenant underlings to defend your position. Can I say just how surprised and flattered I am that 'the mighty one' is actually following my lead!! I suppose that means that you are looking up to me for guidance.

I wasn't off-topic as we were debating the connection between being wealthy and how it impacts on obesity - not about the problems people have with loan sharks!!

If my surmised attack was woeful then why are you disturbed enough to implore me to stop it?

If you stopped being so condescending towards other people and got off you high horse then maybe I would see what you have got to offer by way of your arguments/position on other people's opinion.

I didn't realise that you were so touchy as to call me obtuse. Perhaps, if you treated others as having at least a semblance of intelligence for once then I would stop criticising your attitude and look at your postings seriously to see what you have to offer!!

Comically, you're doing it again. Let me know when you feel foolish. You look it already.

It is true that a lot of Thailand's economy is underpinned by personal debt, both legal and from illegal money lenders. I have seen some absurd Debt To Income ratios. There's also plenty of reports in the Thai community of people being beaten and worse ( acid attacks in some cases ) for non payment of gambling and loan sharking debts. I know of one case where a woman borrowed 5,000 baht due to business failure and was to repay 6,000 baht 30 days later. She didn't have it and had to go borrow smaller amounts from family to repay the 6,000. So what did she then do? being broke again, she borrowed the 5,000 again from the sharks and off went the whole vicious circle again.

This type of story is far more common in Thailand than most farangs would believe. Then again most farangs in Thailand live in a bubble so how would they know anyway?

I think you are the one living in a bubble (your fan club would obviously disagree).

What has this got to do with obesity in Thailand BTW - you are so off-topic that the off-topic police will be paying you a visit soon.

What makes you feel you are so superior to everyone else? your answers are usually rubbish bordering on nonsense on occasions!!

You stay in your bubble as I wouldn't like to be in there with you.

Seems to me I answered the recent diversion of the topic on to economic matters, and I can read that you were also on that topic. If I am off topic I'm only following your lead.

Incidentally, I see you have gone on another woeful personal attack. just be quiet. Anyone reading the topic can see your merely being argumentative and obtuse.

It is true that a lot of Thailand's economy is underpinned by personal debt, both legal and from illegal money lenders. I have seen some absurd Debt To Income ratios. There's also plenty of reports in the Thai community of people being beaten and worse ( acid attacks in some cases ) for non payment of gambling and loan sharking debts. I know of one case where a woman borrowed 5,000 baht due to business failure and was to repay 6,000 baht 30 days later. She didn't have it and had to go borrow smaller amounts from family to repay the 6,000. So what did she then do? being broke again, she borrowed the 5,000 again from the sharks and off went the whole vicious circle again.

This type of story is far more common in Thailand than most farangs would believe. Then again most farangs in Thailand live in a bubble so how would they know anyway?

I read elsewhere that you were going for 10 days, serious lack of self control if you lasted 9 and had to pull out before the goal.

Also you mentioned they gave you a chair to meditate on, not the lotus position. Well I hate to break the news, but that is sitting, not meditating. Anyone can sit for 2 hours or more, many do it on a plane or a car.

I do not think I would ever do it, religion of any type is not my thing, I would get so bored with it in that context I could not handle a day I think. The sleeping on the floor would not be an issue, slept rougher for years. The small shed is nothing, slept in a steel shed same size or smaller for a year in the tropics also. Food twice a day should be ok too, but I like me dinner.

I edited this photo, hope you don't mind, you had a great shot there to work with, should have spent the time evaluating it, plenty of time to have done that and taken a much better shot.

untitled.JPG

Well I did say I was going for 10 days, however it turns out that the program at the Temple I went to was 9 days. There's a monthly 9 day course which takes place at this Temple and you can feel free to join it. The next time Cee Yim emails me I'll find out the dates.

I also pointed out that it was impossible for me to sit in the cross legged or Lotus position as you put it. So I was given a plastic chair which was also extremely uncomfortable. Read the topic again and see if you can find anywhere where I claimed otherwise. While your at it, have a look and see if I constantly referred to Luang Pah and Cee Yim, who both supervised my course. Are you so arrogant as to state your opinion is more valid than there's? They set the scene so to speak, they knew that certain things would be impossible for me, and they have also stated that I am very welcome to go back as they can see I put the effort in.

As for the photo, it was taken discretely so as to not disturb. I am not and never pretend to be a photographer.

ps. You need to work on your trolling technique, I know who you are.