xthAi76s

My GF allowed me to have a sleep-over 'party' with her sister who is a few years younger and who always seemed to be keen on me. This was a one time offer, and will never happen again which is made abundantly clear to me by my honey.

Unless the OP is interested in working in Thailand or similarly undeveloped countries in South East Asia, Africa or (maybe) Central/South America, getting a degree in Thailand will be wholly useless.

Don't let them fool you, OP. Thailand is a full on, regressing 3rd world country with almost no respect for intellectual achievement.

They train factory workers and farmers here. Nothing more.

Good luck

Reading for the sake of learning or enjoyment rather than reading to look smarter and more sophisticated.

I can't see this nuclear power plant plan as a genuine proposal; this must just be to save face. They just scaled the plan back 50%, such that only 5% of the nation's power would be generated by nuclear power. That hardly justifies the expense and risk of managing a nuclear power station in Thailand. They won't be having nuclear power in Thailand any time in the next few decades. The Thai regulatory apparatus can barely manage the opening of new BTS stations, let alone the production of nuclear power. There is likely to be little public interest/concern, regarding this method of power generation, and I cannot imagine how they would hire engineers (they would HAVE to hire foreign experts and provide them with work permits, etc, etc as there isn't a shred of the competence necessary to handle such ventures in the Kingdom). This is just Thai nonsense.

The Thai regulatory apparatus can barely manage the opening of new BTS stations, let alone the production of nuclear power.

Excellent! Presently, there should have been 12 (that's right 10 more than there are) BTS lines criss-crossing the city. They need to stop with their silly imaginations RE nuclear power.

I bring the tradition of actual politeness, rather than the fake smiles and fake politeness so popular here in Thailand.

I bring to Thailand the tradition of using my brain.

I've been back in Bangkok now since December and I've been driving around quite a lot the last few months. During my last trip to Chaeng Wattana I had a good look around Don Muaeng, Laksi, Vibhavadi-Rangsit Rd, Bang Sue and a few other areas but couldn't see any of these big water protection projects that the government has promised these people anywhere!! Does anybody know of any projects that have started? Or was this all a big lie again?

There's some construction work going on around Don Muaeng - Rangsit area, looks like concrete road walls along the pavement. It's half a meter tall, maybe that's got something to do with those projects... Sewers are being (cleaned?) here and there but half-an-hour rain still result in an ankle-high water in some areas along Vibhavadi-Rangsit Rd.

There are indeed a few small and meaningless projects going on around town but the state of the art engineering projects that were going to make Thailand look like Japan have all been forgotten it seems until the river is flowing through peoples living rooms again. Do Thai people never get fed up with their leaders/governments promising them a better life and never delivering it? Why do they wait until the water is waist high again to complain about it? It baffles me

A nation of rice farmers in suits is why. We should not expect less.

IMO it gets to the point when event like this no longer become newsworthy

Gov;t employeee says or does someone

Someone from oppostion party say he should quit / be fired / or I will sue him

PM goes shopping and says nothing

The sun rises tomorrow and we start all over again

Sounds like Thailand is suffering from groundhog day all over again

You forgot "DSI investigates, Tarit says there is no case, recommends AG not proceed."

And, "we will set up a committee to look into this".

<snip>

I don't wanna get in trouble.

It just goes to show the effects of a simple typo. I think what he intended to write was "What's wrong with farangs & their gfs holding hands all the time"; one wrong would make it right...

But that isn't what he meant at all if you look at the OP, he used to think it indicated that the GF is a BG, and that it was the GF who was initiating it.

I still maintain this is a person who did not grow up in a farang culture.

Has anyone noticed that the only people holding hands while walking around are almost ALWAYS Falangs with their BG-looking GFs/wives?

No other couples I see hold hands while walking. Are all the BGs being trained in the same school that encourages hand holding?

Any idea what's going on here?

Johnny, your logic here is not sound, my friend. I'm not sure how where I grew up has anything to do with my question.

Anyway, I just happened to catch this occurrence again through my condo window and it was the lady who initiated the hand holding. Perhaps she grew up in Farang culture ...

I didn't bother reading all the comments and am addressing the OP only, assuming he wasn't taking the piss.

I believe you're not farang correct?

It is perfectly normal in farang culture for couples to hold hands in public, nothing wrong with it at all anywhere.

When I was at boarding school in my early teens any PDA between student couples was punished, but everyone thought that was a stupid rule and in fact it was rarely enforced.

It is true here in Thailand it is relatively rare, but certainly here in Bangkok I see younger couples hand in hand, arm in arm, boy's arm over the girl's shoulder all the time in the street, on the BTS etc. If I'm out and about most of the day I'll see it at least a dozen times. If I were walking around town back home I'd see it many thousands of times.

Another farang cultural trait, at least in my background is to not give a stuff about what other people think, certainly not people you don't know, random people looking at you in the street. Here in Thailand, most respectable people do seem to care about what others think, even just walking around in a place where no one knows who you are. Strange but true.

Relative newcomers to Thailand don't know about Thai culture, and many wouldn't care even if they did, they will still follow their own cultural habits as that's all they know. Girls that are used to farang ways will often accommodate that desire, because for a farang if a girl refuses to hold his hand in public it means she doesn't like him, isn't proud to be seen with him, it is insulting and a rejection.

Once a farang has been here a while he comes to understand that most Thais are judging him and his girl negatively if they're walking around in public physically demonstrating their affection, and he will also understand that his girl would prefer to not have people thinking bad things, and if he's considerate he will start to be willing to walk around without holding hands. If he remembers - out of habit he may well continue to hold hands until he remembers.

That's what I think you don't understand - the unconscious default for many farang is to hold hands, that's what's normal. Stopping that habit is the strange behaviour for him, and it takes an effort to remember to unlearn that habit.

I hope this helps you to understand a bit more about farang culture.

Actually, I am quite the Farang, although I despise the term. And, being a member of the club, I do understand the culture quite well indeed.

I think what you've posted is certainly plausible, yes.

Thanks

In the end, it is immaterial if it is the farang instigating the hand holding since it is culturally acceptable in his homeland or if it is the "BG-looking GFs/wives" initiating it to indicate genuine affection or warning off other predatory "BG-looking GFs/wives." As long as the farang involved doesn't assimilate the culturally acceptable Thai habit of digging knuckle-deep in his nose while holding the young lady's hand with his other, free hand.

I'm guessing by the number of times you've quoted "BG-looking GFs/wives" that you find something wrong in my posting it. It is just an observation. Nothing more.

Interesting thread.

When i lived in India I would often walk along the street holding a friends hand. They were of course exclusively male....to have walked along holding an Indian girl's hand would have caused great consternation.

Between male friends it was commonplace.

Things are fairly similar in Thailand really.(except for the male/male hand holding of course!) Outside the obvious fleshpots you don't see much evidence of this behaviour although in student areas etc its fairly common.

Just like most places in the world....young love flourishes in similar ways.

Exactly. You most certainly don't often see full on Thai/Thai adult couples walking around holding hands. Well, to be fair, you don't often see them together at all and for dam_n sure not walking!

Thais do not exhibit outward affection in public. it is a cultural thing, that is changing with the younger generation.

Married 3 years and counting, and we still hold hands, not Always but many times. we enjoy it, it is good for the heart and good for the soul.

PS: why the BG comment? you mean it is right for Farang with non "BG" looking wife to hold hands but not for the 'BG" looking wife?

I see. The BG comment was just an observation/interpretation. Nobody can deny that many of Falang male Thai female relationships fit this description (at least in Bangkok). I'm not one to judge though, so it's fine.

I do think the aneliane's last comment is certainly a possibility. Never thought of that one. I guess my bias against BG-looking women is showing.

I think it's you just assuming that if a guy is walking down the street with a younger Thai girl that she is a bar girl. Office girls go out with farang guys too, but maybe they just don't hang out in the bars that you go to.

I don't go to bars at all. I hate bars. Bad music, soccer (which I don't much like), and girls coming by every 3 minutes to bother talk to me in broken English.

Thais do not exhibit outward affection in public. it is a cultural thing, that is changing with the younger generation.

Married 3 years and counting, and we still hold hands, not Always but many times. we enjoy it, it is good for the heart and good for the soul.

PS: why the BG comment? you mean it is right for Farang with non "BG" looking wife to hold hands but not for the 'BG" looking wife?

I see. The BG comment was just an observation/interpretation. Nobody can deny that many of Falang male Thai female relationships fit this description (at least in Bangkok). I'm not one to judge though, so it's fine.

I do think the aneliane's last comment is certainly a possibility. Never thought of that one. I guess my bias against BG-looking women is showing.

You know, here in Thailand Thais are generally pretty reserved when it comes to public displays of affection, so it stands out when Falangs and their significant others walk around constantly holding hands. To me, it also looks rather childish, especially in the case of elderly men holding hands with middle-aged or younger women.

Yes usually new couples do hold hands; In my country anyway

it's called RO-MANCE

does not last unfortunately

I never see real, respectable Thai women holding hands with their Thai boyfriends/husbands... Only Falangs. Are Falangs the only ones making new relationships?

Of course it's a western thing

farangs start new relationship, feel in love, hold hands, I don't see what's weird about that

Just seems strange that it's so consistent with 'these' types of couples y'know? To me, if I had to guess, these women are taught to use this hand holding as a strategy to get their marks to trust them in hopes the Falang will part more easily with his money or other resources... Just a guess though.

Yes usually new couples do hold hands; In my country anyway

it's called RO-MANCE

does not last unfortunately

I never see real, respectable Thai women holding hands with their Thai boyfriends/husbands... Only Falangs. Are Falangs the only ones making new relationships?

Has anyone noticed that the only people holding hands while walking around are almost ALWAYS Falangs with their BG-looking GFs/wives?

No other couples I see hold hands while walking. Are all the BGs being trained in the same school that encourages hand holding?

Any idea what's going on here?

What about this: "Rising Costs In Thailand: 4-Month Retail Price Freeze"

It must be helping somewhat.

I know it's a case of closing the stable door after the horse has bolted for the OP for which I apologise for being unhelpful but, the few times I've been stopped for some non-existent speeding offense, I've found that being polite but firm in my insistence of my innocence has always worked.

I got stopped just past a toll booth on the Don Muang Expressway a few months back. Seems that they were targeting everybody who came through. Went something like this

Me: Hello why have you stopped me?

Cop: You were speeding

Me: No I wasn't. MY GPS says so. I thought you were here because you got me ( genuinely speeding ) last week.

My wife then politely but firmly said " Can we go please we're running late"

Bit of back and forth and we're on our way.

When I've been genuinely speeding and tried to jovially bullshit my way out of it the cop always radios the guy with the speed camera who gives my reg. number and speed so in those cases they've got me bang to rights anyhow.

But paying off a cop for a non-existent offense? F#ck that. Let someone else bend over and take it up the Gary but not this boy.

This is basically my experience as well with 14+ years experience on Thai roads.

If the OP wants to give it a shot and head down to the police station, then give it a go, but I wouldn't press to hard. Rack it up to experience and the next time just remember what MCA has done, be nice, deny the imagined infringement and you'll soon be on your way. It has worked in my experience too.

A Thai colleague challenged the charge at the local cop shop several years back.

He got a very angry response from the man in charge "are you saying my policeman is a liar?". Then the suggestion that my colleague would be charged with interfering in a policeman's duty or something similar with 48 hrs to cool off.

It frightened the sh.. out of my colleague and he then quickly offered to have all the air-conditioners serviced at the station.

When this was completed he paid the fine and got his license back.

Fair point.

I'd probably go down and ask something along the lines of "if I wanted to dispute this ticket, what do I need to do?" and see where that takes me (and whether it was worth the effort). I've generally not had bad experience with the coppers in Thailand and have been able to sort things out amicably and without a bribe.

I think I also recall reading in one of your posts that you speak fluent Thai. Is that correct? If so, that can make a world of difference.

Thailand does lack inspirational leaders and it has lacked them for some time now. There were those who made efforts in the past, but they ALL have come up quite short. Your proof of their coming up short is all around us here in Thailand. Generally speaking, these past leaders have one thing in common: they all amassed GREAT wealth while 'leading' Thailand and while the overwhelming majority of the country has gotten not significantly richer than they were 100 years ago. Curious, isn't it?

dam_n, some great comments here thus far. I don't think I need to go off on the rant I was preparing.

IMO, the most poignant post was the one that mentioned that a cultural change will [very likely] be required to move forward in any significant sense. Not sure how the leaders can 'square that away' with the nation building they've been doing for the past century.

We'll have to see how it turns out.

The modern world moves efficiently and quickly, not slowly and in an uninspired way. Competition is real.

EDIT:

I HOPE they can figure it out soon because I would love to see and live in a Thailand that is truly inspired -- intellectually and culturally. Currently, they are simply inspired by material wealth. A wholly boring place.

...

I never saw so much leg and arse until I made it over here. It's EVERYWHERE. From Hi-So to So-So to Lo-So. See through, excessively tight, short skirts and whatnot.

How can you have 'excessively tight'?

That's the sort of thing the late Mary Whitehouse might have said...

I certainly cannot, but, y'know, I'm not the one parroting the nation building slogans.

I like it just the way it is. But, sadly, I know what's right...

EDIT:

It would be fine if they just owned their 'stuff'. It would still be frustrating at times, but they could at least point to some dignity by way of 'fessing up' to their dirt. It's the denial, I think, that gets people.

I never saw so much leg and arse until I made it over here. It's EVERYWHERE. From Hi-So to So-So to Lo-So. See through, excessively tight, short skirts and whatnot.

What a wonderful country this is, yes. Now if they'd pick up on the clue from GaGa and start wearing Angus beef, Thailand would quickly become the host of the most excellent BBQ-parties in the world. Talk about a tourist attraction.

G_d, yes. Angus beef. I mean, good Angus beef; not the Thai Agnus beef from 130 year-old sickly soi cows that is nearly impossible to chew.