LawrenceN

4 hours ago, 2long said:

This is funny and I feel ...

#1 it was not a mistake ????????

#2 surely if the people at the event loved their country as much as they claim, they should have noticed.

Now let's all sing the Thai national anthem, in Spanish. 

Mick Jagger would be so impressed! (Cos he got satisfaction.)

Follow the canal that passes behind MaeJo University away from the city. A number of communities out that way have nice, traditional events every year. When cars are parked along the road, you park, too. Some of those villages have very well-organized parking. 

Good luck! 

9 hours ago, kokesaat said:

A small bonus.....my smartwatch and my phone are bluetooth paired.  When I walk away from my phone, as I have done a few times in a restaurant, my watch vibrates when it loses pairing.....usually within 20 feet or so.  

Yeah, I turned that off, too. My lovely wife handles all the nagging that I require. 

Just one more thing to add. Compare with Garmin sports watches. They do one thing. Biking, running, golf, a separate device for each. My multi-purpose Samsung watch does all that and does it well. 

2 hours ago, Sheryl said:

 

It is well known that the virus can live on inanimate objects, especially indoors.

 

Gyms are especially high risk environments due to tnedency of peopkle to grunt, breath hard etc while working out.

 

This is why gyms were closed during lockdowns and among the last places allowed to reopen.

 

The timing of her infection makes it 99% sure her infection occurred while in quarantine.

 

Obviously the original source could have been of any nationality who used the gym. This is really not relevant, as is her visa status

 

What is relevant is that quarantine, meant to contain infection, actually spread it in this instance.

 

I would expect to see new guidance issued to ASQ facilities about use of gyms.

I gave you a Thanks emoji. Whenever I'm scrolling through the TV cynicism, it's a joy to see 'Sheryl' come scrolling by. You're a voice of reason among the howling madmen. 

14 hours ago, kokesaat said:

I'm the biased owner of the new Samsung Watch3.  I had the Samsung Gears S3 for 4 years and got more than my money's worth out of it.  Although not previously into any form of fitness, the S3 let me know just how much I was sitting on my behind.  I worked my way up to 10,000 steps/day over the course of a few months, adding in 10 flights of stairs per day.  When I sat for more than an hour or so during the day, the watch would give me a friendly reminder to stretch or do some exercise.  I'd use that as an excuse to walk 1000 steps around the yard.  It summarizes your day's activites and gives you a weekly report as well.  I wore it on my upper arm when I was sleeping to track the quality of my sleep.  It became my personal fitness trainer.....without ever going to a gym.

On a few occasions when I'd have a question, I'd go to the Samsung chat line and they'd answer my question within minutes.

When the new Watch3 came out last month, I wanted to buy it, but wasn't prepared to cash out $400 for it.  Then I found that Samsung was offering $200 turn in for the old watch, along with a $35 military (retiree) discount and free shipping.  So, in the end, I got the new Watch3 for much less than the 4 year old Gear S3.  It's lighter than the older model, waterproof, and has built in blood oxygen and ecg sensors.  The sleep monitoring is much more precise as well.  The watch has built in GPS as well.

I have a Samsung phone as well.....it pairs well with the watch.  I'd guess an Apple Watch would be better to pair with an iphone.  

To the best of my knowledge none of the sports watches track blood pressure.  

If you've never had a sports watch and especially if you consider yourself a couch potato and want to track your health, a sports watch is a good investment.

I still use my Samsung Gear S3. kokesaat is spot on, but I would like to mention a few more features that I use. 

kokesaat wasn't really clear to say that the watch integrates with your Android phone through Bluetooth. I take phone calls, LINE messages, email notifications, FB Messenger messages, and a couple more I've forgotten. I use it as an alarm clock and timer, mostly in the kitchen. 

Regarding fitness, I got tired of the pokes for sitting still for an hour, so I turned that off. I'm a cyclist. You can use the GPS to map your rides (runs, walks, pub crawls...) and simultaneously measure speed, distance, heart rate. You can graph heart rate vs. altitude vs. speed, any two of those at a time. It summarizes how much of your ride was at max heart rate, anaerobic, aerobic, etc. When you finish your workout, it sends the data to your watch so you can view it on your phone's screen rather than the little watch screen. You can upload the map to Strava, or export it as a file readable by Google Maps. You can configure which info you see during your workout on your watch, three screens worth. For example, on my first screen, I see time of day, current speed, and distance. It saves your workout history, so you can see exactly what you did last week or last month. 

I installed a golf app which gives distance and keeps score, counting putts as well. Plus, it doesn't even know if you lie! That's a feature, not a bug. 

I have had mine for almost 3-1/2 years. The battery lasted just over three years, and cost 2600 baht to replace. 

We own a condo about 300 meters from BigC, so maybe 500 from Suk. It's great: clean, well-maintained, adequate pool and fitness. 

There's a ramshackle slum next door. The inhabitants of the slum are harmless, but they like dogs a bit too much. Walking past it, you have to dodge doggie doo, and it smells, well, like that. 

One lit match would improve the area. 

On 10/23/2020 at 6:56 PM, KeeTua said:

I wouldn't recommend people ignore tones but if they don't know or can't remember a correct tone they will often be understood by the context.

 

A very simple example:
A driver asks you "which way?"
If you reply เลี้ยวทราย the driver will almost certainly turn left even though you just said "turn sand." But you're in a car with no sand in sight so left it is.

 

เลี้ยวซ้าย is correct for turn left.

 

I know my tones aren't perfect, I wish they were, but I get by just fine speaking only Thai where I live in the boonies.

That's a good example, ทราย vs. ซ้าย. Also works for the caddies I see several times a week. But that little girl that I asked if she could sh*t a bicycle was horrified and didn't "get it from context." In a way, it's the reverse of the OP's question, in that it depends on the listener's starting point and experience. That's what I meant about families that learn to cope with the toddler atonal pronunciation and bad vowels and wrong consonants. 

I was once having coffee with my wife's boss, an Aussie. As we were getting up to leave, he said something like "GaaBoon Kha." Sure, the hostess "got it from context," and gave him a big Thai smile. I, on the other hand, barely contained my laughter (wife's boss and all). Most of us learn a decent "thank you" in Thai the day we get off the plane, but this guy was either delusional or couldn't be bothered. And copied his wife. 

Allow me to revise my statement: If your goal is to speak Thai (or Vietnamese) badly, ignore tones, and don't learn to read either. 

1 hour ago, jackdd said:

You assume that every tone of every syllable is totally random, but this is just not the case. Just by copying how Thais say it many tones will probably end up right. A wrong tone also doesn't change the whole structure of a word.

Using wrong tones results in something comparable to this: Tumorrow I wood like too go fishing. About everybody can figure out what this is supposed to mean.

I don't see what point you're trying to make by plugging in homonyms. What you wrote makes that sentence slightly more difficult to read, but sounds the same. 

I also don't know what you mean by "You assume that every tone of every syllable is totally random." I don't assume that. Please quote for me the sentence that I wrote that gave you that impression, and I'll clarify. 

I was fortunate to have begun learning Thai at the age of 22 as a US Peace Corps Volunteer. I'm 65 now and still learning.

Learning to speak, hear, and think tonally is much harder than learning to read Thai. Learning a character set is no big deal. This random letter represents this certain precise sound. Got it! The European alphabets are a poor approximation of Thai sounds. 

Anyone who says you can ignore tones doesn't know what he's talking about. The tone is an integral part of every syllable of Thai, as much as the correct consonant or vowel sound. To jou upterpant shif fengeng? Let me repeat, do you understand this sentence? Why not? I got all the vowels right, and a couple of consonants. That's what wrong tones sound like to Thai people. Do they get it from context? Sure, about as well as if you mumble and point. Your family members learn your limited vocabulary like they do a toddler's. Take it from someone who, 42 years ago, asked a little girl if she could poop (ขี้, khee, falling tone) a bicycle, when of course I meant ride (ขี่, khee, low tone). Made a lasting impression on me. 

16 hours ago, Blumpie said:

What ever happened to the Thai's vaccine that they were so proud of?  Oh let me guess, it never got off the ground.  Go figure.  

Thai scientists, faculty at Mahidol University to be precise, were involved in the development of this exact vaccine, in collaboration with Oxford University, which is mentioned in the OP. 

16 minutes ago, Venom said:

Better late then never. In the meantime 20 dead factory workers have paid the ultimate price for total incompetence. 

 

"Governor Maitree said the crossing has an alarm but does no barrier to block traffic when a train is coming. He said the province will install speed bumps and barriers as well as cut down trees near the crossing to improve visibility."

I was gonna comment on this, too. Lines of sight are never considered. A neighbor at the corner of my soi built a new wall. I asked them to make it straight rather than follow the curve of the road, in order to give us (them included) a sight line down the road when pulling out. They looked at me like I had three heads. They have to build over every square inch of their property. The common good never enters into it. 

Likewise overgrown trees and shrubs that hide stop signs and other warnings. Sure, Governor, trim the trees now. That will bring those 20 lives back. It never occurred to him to get those road supervisors off their fat a**es to do maintenance proactively. 

12 minutes ago, Tchooptip said:

Which vaccine, coming from where ????????????? ????

The one commonly referred to as the Oxford vaccine, coming from Oxford University. 

8 hours ago, connda said:

I'll be the last in line and will only consider it if it's mandated as a requirement for extension.  And if that's the case, I'll attempt to find a vaccine that is based on proven technology.  I don't feel like being a lab rat from an mRNA jab.  But, all the rest of you who want it - don't let me stop you.  Although I'd used to say, "It's a free world", but nowadays?  It's not. 

What's mitochondrial RNA got to do with it? Serious question, not mocking. 

But, seriously, I'm dismayed at all the hate and negative spin here. Thailand's brightest at Mahidol University collaborated with Oxford University to come up with the vaccine. Even Anutin understands that the more people vaccinated (with an effective vaccine) the better. I'll be very surprised if, in the attempt to achieve herd immunity, we're cut from the herd. 

16 hours ago, ChristianBlessing said:

Four years ago I transported my bicycle from Bangkok to Chiang Mai on the overnight express. It was placed in the freight carriage and the cost was 90฿.

Same here, two years ago. Mine was in a bike case, so, like oversized baggage. 

36 minutes ago, cmarshall said:

น้ำ has a high tone as indicated by the spelling, not a mid tone.  When Thai pronounce น้ำโซดา it's true that there is no emphasis on the final syllable, but it does sound that way to the Anglophone ear because of the long vowel.

Now it's my turn to  admit fault. I was referring to just the word โซดา, butI wasn't clear about that. ????

10 hours ago, JWRC said:

Even when you speak Thai and have actually asked the shopkeeper for the item in Thai, they panic and look around for help or when asking the price in Thai, they grab a calculator and put the amount in so they can show you. I find this totally frustrating, just goes to show they either do not listen, or panic at being spoken to by a foreigner.

This is said by people who underestimate the importance of  speaking with correct tones. Thai people simply don't recognize the words you're saying. Tones are an integral part of every syllable, as important as the consonants and vowels. I would bet dollars to donuts you're one of those people who decided you're not going to bother with learning the correct tone for each word, or learn to read Thai script, which solves the problem. If you haven't trained your brain to hear and think and speak tonally, you're not speaking Thai. 

49 minutes ago, Damrongsak said:

I know very little of Thai vocabulary.  I know what little I know and I can use it to express myself in creative ways.  As for really understanding others, that's no-go aside from my wife.  But, I can hem and haw and nod or shake my head in both Thai and Isaan Lao without a problem.  Uhh, Mmm, Hoi, Ai. 

You must have forgotten a lot. When we were in Peace Corps together, I thought you did fine. In fact, I thought you were one of the better Thai speakers among us. No? 

On 10/7/2020 at 10:41 AM, BananaBandit said:

I think I recall having read a few professional-caliber English articles with Thai names on the byline. 

 

Were these particular journalists just exceptionally gifted?

 

Or were they ลูกครึ่ง  who were raised สองภาษา (or perhaps English ภาษาแรก) ?

 

Or are such articles typically polished-up by a native English speaker before hitting print?

 

คุณคิดแนวใด

Stop by any of the dozens of topnotch international schools in Bangkok and you'll think you're in California. The kids switch effortlessly between Thai and English. Then there are the ones who went to school abroad, or the repatriated half Thai young people (like my own daughter), and you can see why there is a pool of native fluency English speakers and writers. 

‘tongue-eater’ got their first.

Who's editing The Nation these days? And in a headline, no less! 

19 hours ago, tgeezer said:

Sorry I intended to answer but changed much mind and I can't change the fact that I clicked on "quote". 

Could be anything, I know a General who went to a boarding school in England and teaches In the Army who speaks perfect English. Another General's nephew goes to Charterhouse £30,000 a team but I think that they hope for better than journalism for him! 

I was interested in คิดแนวใด I have never heard it but it is very good I think. I say คิดอย่างไร I don't know if it is Thaigrit or not, both are understandable to me. Since ไหน means อะไร คิดไหน should be understandable too; Common usage is what determines the meanings of words, poets can do what I do and have it accepted. I know that I am not a poet but it doesn't stop me because Thais or the forum will put me straight when I get it wrong, 

To answer the topic, I know a very small percentage of Thai words but I am comforted by the fact that  Thai has too many words and English is ridiculously in surplus. 

I think of อะไร as "what" and ไหน as "which." ใด usually means "any."

5 minutes ago, TKDfella said:

น้ำโสดา Naam (Nam) Sodaa is indeed correct and there should be no emphasis as the 'ด' = a normal 'd' sound. 'ต' the td is the consonant used for the extra 'puff' or emphasis. But the vowel is long, 'aa' rather than short 'a'. So perhaps you initial thoughts were correct, Ha!

It's น้ำโซดา. The way you spelled it would have a rising tone on the first syllable, which it doesn't have. Both syllables are mid tones and equal in emphasis.