dugdig

Thanks Duddig I now have a new word in my vocabulary.

Only a morgue worker would use a word like that.

By the way I had eviscerated fish for dinner today.

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Actually I learned the word 'eviscerate' when I was studying to be an emergency medical technician.

Do you think that morgue workers are bad people? or am I reading something into this that is not there?

mr. p,

Lots of stuff we could discuss here but this forum medium is too slow...a conversation would be better. If you come to Chiangrai give me a post...I'd have fun chatting.

YOU:"...Development is not so much about developing a barrier as it is developing the capacity to visualize. .."

ME: Definitely. I was meaning this message for Farang Pan and he has been using the barricade metaphor in discussing these issues so I thought I'd try to approach it from his angle.

YOU:"...Habitual liers pass lie detector tests because they don't even know that they are lying. ..."

ME: I'm not well versed on this but I suspect that this type of "habitual" lying is probably to the level of pathologic lying...to be able to pass lie detector tests. I'm not sure but I don't think that Farang Pan was trying to indicate that all his ex girlfriends were pathalogical liars....maybe I'm wrong though.

YOU: "....Inference is a valid means of creating testable theory. We rely on it, fundamentally."

ME: It is easier to infer that something exists than it is to infer that nothing exists. Farang Pan is using inference to prove that nothing exists inside the barriers he has encountered. If inference finds nothing it could be that the powers of inference are not strong enough (Its been a long time but I think they call this a type II error, accepting the null hypothesis when the null hypothesis is false). I would say that inference is a method for gathering data to test a testable theory, not a means of creating one. Testable theories are not so easy to create as you probably know. I wonder if Farang Pan has done this...my guess is that he has not...but maybe I'm wrong.

YOU: "I am not aware of Buddhism having any influence on this culture. ..."

ME: A simple but overly simplistic analogy: "I am not aware of Christianity having any influence on American culture. All they do is buy presents at christmas and hunt for easter eggs." The influence of christianity on American culture is undeniable (and of course someone on this forum will immediately deny it!!) and in my opinion the same is true of Thai culture and Buddhism. With due respect...I think your definition of Buddhism is very narrow.

YOU: "Sure - a person must want to think about their own thoughts in order to rule the rules. Examine their own actions. Examine their role in culture. See if what their parents said makes sense. Dissent can only come from a very moral person with a very good capacity to organize information and their relationship to that information."

ME: This was your reply to my mention of morals. Morals are very slippery even for one person thinking alone...but for two or more people to discuss them is really difficult....I'm glad to hear what you have said but it the topic is so immense and what you have written is so short that it does not begin to influence me on this topic..this is not criticism....this is why if you come north give me a holler.

dugdig

PS Farang Pan, comments?

dugdig

You could buy a strap on penis and get her (your friend)to dance on stage. At a certain point she can spread honey on her penis and sprickle it with insects, then have an obvious very mature ladyboy give her head to consume the insects.

This is one style of surreal etc. like I mentioned.

Farang Pan,

Now I understand that you don't think that all Thais have 'underdeveloped egos'. I'm glad to hear that. My ideas about egos seems to be different from yours so I would like to ask you some questions so I can learn about (or maybe even influence) your ideas.

You have compared Thai people to children in that they both will change public personna depending on the situation. You assert that this may be because both lack fully developed egos. My view is that children have not yet developed a barrier in their psyche...a barrier which protects and holds constant the sense of self. It is the strength of these barriers that gives strength to the ego...in my way of thinking. You talk about Thai's being nothing but barrier...to me this means that they have incredibly strong egos. Perhaps you believe there is nothing inside the barrier. In my experience a strong barrier is used to either guard something of great value or to protect something very week or to trick threateners into thinking there is something important insilde so their attacks will gain nothing even if the barrier is breached. I can't prove that any of these three are operable here...but why do you think these people create these incredible barriers that you perceive.

And also, I forget exactly who posted what but wasn't it you who said that the barrier never comes down? If so then how do you know there is nothing inside?

It might be interesting to compare Christianity and Buddhism in regards to how they comment on things relating to ego. Oh and I definitely disagree with your statement (at least I think it was you that said it) that a strong ego is necessary for moral developement. Could you amplify your thoughts on this?

But pose smiling around a victim? Anyone sick enough to do that would be persona non-grata at any further accident or crime scenes.

cv

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In the USA they want to recruit people like this for the military...especially if their good with a camera!!!!

Paul,

Do you think that opening a bar in Thailand would be a good investment?

dugdig

I was responding to the other post about people smiling at seemingly inappropriate times, like when relating a story about someone's horrific death. I know people's emotions cannot always be taken at "face value"; that's all I was trying to say.

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I usually consider this question to be rhetorical but I'm getting the feeling that you really don't know why so I'll try to answer.

In Thai culture, if you are in public then the most important thing is for uncomfortable situations to be avoided. It is sometimes/often/usually better to lie than to cause embarrassment or confusion...by Thai standards. Westerners will meet people in public and mention a problem and dthen other people will start to agree and amplify the first comment....I think this is called whingeing? This is totally alien to the Thai sense of appropriate social behavior. This is not a 100% hard fast rule...for instance when with family or close friends you can whinge more or if thetopic is not serious you can whinge and say youare joking...etc.....but..in my experience...the more serious the topic the more important it becomes to not make a comment that can embarrase or confuse others. If you work in a hospital and you've got a bodyless head and a reporter comes to take a picture....the more repugnant this seems to you the more likely you are to smile.....and there are a million kinds of smiles in Thailand....Thai peole can read them very well but most westerners don't have a clue.

Why try to justify the sick behaviour of those in the photo. They are actually posing and smiling for the camera. Is this the real, amazing Thailand people rave about? 

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A photo does not show 'behaviour'. Any behaviour you are seeing is happening inside your own head. And, yes, this is the 'amaxing Thailand people rave about'. Thai people are all heartless mindless ghouls. When they think noone is looking they get out their book of pictures of eviscerated people and rub their hands together and laugh maniacaly. Really, they do....and ....oh forget it ...I'm only joking haha

I'll go against the trend here and actually give you an answer.

Almost everything is available in Thailand...if you lookfor it ...if you're willing to pay for it.

In Chiangrai I sometimes/often/always see beans,broccoli,oranges,pumpkin,salmon,soy,tea,tomatoes,and yoghurt.

I don't know about the others...I've never looked for them...I don't eat farang food.

PS I think these diet things with lists like this are mostly crap but at least this one has got a lot of yummy stuff on it.

Large snails are introduced into rice paddy in some places to provide a second cash crop.

We eat insects in the north too. They range from bland to delicious. I've never eaten a bug that tasted bad. The gritty texture can turn people away but can be reduced by removing wings and feet/legs. They are much better fresh...I've never eaten an insect in Bangkok....even the ones in the night bazaar in Chiangrai are not nearly as good as fresh ones. One of the best ones is called meng jahn. When the men plow the rice field the women and kids follow along and collect fish, frogs, crabs, and insects which are almost exclusively meng jahn. You don't kill any of these, just put them into a basket. Later you take the meng jahn and fry them up and eat right away...very tasty 'cause they're fresh fresh fresh.

I'm going to the toilet for a psychedelic yodel.

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Like, peace, man.

Medicine box says he doesn't believe in ghosts but if he had some good evidence then...... Does this mean that anything he hasn't encountered directly he doesn't believe in? What about electrons, proton, or neutrinos....those ubiquitous but introverted travelers. Does he not believe in them? Or have the high priests of atomic physics brain washed him into blind acceptance?

I forgot to mention an important point. Noone speaks English here.

Is it possible to be more than 20min away from a noodle vendor? I didn't think that was possible unless you went into a national park!!!

My village is far from Muang but many of the houses on the main road have shops. There's a couple of noodle places, a couple of convenience stores (none with all the 7-11 merchandise but you can request stuff....when they get to know you), and even a produce vendor. This is all within 20 min WALK. With a bicycle you can double or triple all this and include a couple of hardware stores, electrical supply shop, swimming pool (not veryclean though), video rental(almost all Thai language), internet shop, post office, lumber store, couple of wats, auto, motocy repair, book store, furniture store, pharmacy...you get the picture. With motocy....even more.

If you find the right spot you can find a quiet spot with most things near to hand. I think a bicycle and motocy are essential though for me. I can even get adsl if I want but don't.

Falang Pan,

You have an interesting way of looking at the world. I think so many people have such strong reactions to what you have said is that your entire synthesis is based on your limited observations. You have observed a very small number of Thai people I'm sure and certainly they mostly come from one micro niche of Thai society. You take this totally miniscule view and use it to make sweeping statements about Thai psycho-dynamics. The data you use is woefully inadequate for this purpose. You must always remember, "garbage in, garbage out."

Sincerely,

dugdig

I think if they haven't paid you yet then you are not illegal. Whatever you do don't take the money!!!!

Yeah, they are probably mostly smiling because their picture is being taken, I do agree. Also, if you work with this stuff regularly it gets routine and boring and a sense of humor creaps in. I worked in the gross anatomy room and morgue at a major teaching hospital and if I told you some of our jokes you'd think I was sick/er. Even the doctors...especially doctors.

Hi.  I already know about the Regent / 4 Seasons, and how they have a Spinning Class available, but to attend it's 30,000 (initiation fee ) + 50,000 a year....which is retarded..... so, does anyone have any knowledge of a spinning class available somewhere else and/or that you can pay per class?

Thanks....

-Matty

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What is a Spinning Class? At first I thought you were talking about wool or cotton.

Are we talking something that normally happens there or are we talking totally fabricated surreal satyricon style wacko stuff?

I live in a village in the north and we eat alot of 'exotic' stuff here. One of my favorite dishes is geng (like a stew) made from a cows placenta. It's done with water buffalo placenta too but I've never had that one.

When a calf is born the person attending will take care so that when the placenta is delivered the mother doesn't eat it. They quickly cut the cord and take the placenta away. Later that day (or the next day if the birth occurs late at night) someone will make the stew and distribute it to family and close friends so that they can celebrate the new calf.

Well if i could wave a magic wand and make it happen i would make the Thai economy and the peoples wages etc in-line with the western world.

Sorry the cheap Charlies out there your easy livin life style would have just come crashing down.

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This is a very interesting post. At the risk of starting a big flame war I'll ask, "Why."

I think you are asking us for legal advice which really you can only get from a lawyer. But...if I'm riding on the back of someone's motorcycle and he/she hits someone it is hard for me to believe that I would be held responsible unless I did something to directly cause the misshap like cover the driver's eyes or shift my weight in an unusual way. You can always find the grey areas. If I was sexually stimulating the driver could I be held responsible? If someone invited me to go out in their boat I would not worry that I would be held responsible assuming that I didn't do something to precipitate a misshap

Let's face it Thailand is a third world backwater which happens to have cheap food, cheap pussy, nice beaches and sunny weather .

These positives are enough for many people to want to live in Thailand.

However being a third world backwater means that they have endemic courruption, poor infrastructure, no social security, high crime rate and on top of that if you are a farang you have very few legal entitilements.

That is what you have to weigh up  as a farang if you decide to live in Thailand.

Up to you.

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A reasonable post.

Corruption: traffic violations cost 100baht on the spot, ok by me

Poor infrastructure: I've got a good road, phone, electricity, what's poor?

No social security: I thought all us foreigners got that from our previous home

High crime rate: Bad situations can usually be avoided with common sense

Legal entitlements: No vote (as if voting in the USA actually influenced politics...if voting could really change things they would outlaw it!), can not own property; keeps the foreign population in check, what other entitlements am I doing without?

Amen to the Professor's suggestion. I'd augment that with real enforcement of driving laws.

Is it true that Dr. Pepper is carbonated prune juice with sugar?

The drink they make from macam wan is a bit like the Dr.