sonnyJ

Howdy.

A new experience. A lesson learned (again). Guess I'm lucky in a way or few.

I'm still left in the dark by my memories of last night. All there is left are head aching pains, and my swollen face.

No, I don't consider my self as an out-of-control-crazy. I didn't beat up anybody last night. I can't understand that kind of behaviour. But, it's a good lesson. Violence? I'm not into that, but we all must get our experiences some way, whether we like it or not. My experience didn't change my perception on violence too much. Only made it more reachable, being able to grasp on it by my own hands so to speak. Violence is not a way to go says I.

I consider myself as an sensitive, intelligent, thinking, feeling human being.

That's all folks.

As a chinaman would say. Ni Qingke Wo Fuqian. You invited but I will pay. (This is to be considered in a positive sense).

Hallleluuyaaaaa!

So it is, so has it been and so shall it be.

And these are the last days.

A bit off the topic.

You can order cans of Singha/40 baht piece and get them delivered to your home.

Around Ari, Pizzanotti. Phone 028008089.

Pizzas are fair real pizzas, not the thai pizza hut/comp. crap. But over priced 230-380. Delivery orders over 230, delivery free.

Yes Phuket is the most expensive place in Thailand.

Pattaya, I wasn't thrilled, or even enjoyed it really.

All these most touristed places seem to be full of scams and special prices for foreigners.

But I don't know what kind of thailady you are looking for.

My friend had a great time in Udon Thani, that's Isaan, near Vientiane/Laos border crossing. Soo nice girls, like to party. Just walk in the bar and see. I'm not talking about girl bars, just ordinary ones. Also some places there are open 'till morning. So not so ordinary in Thailand.

You should understand what most thai girls think. Mostly they assume that an intimate relationship will turn into a marriage. Thailand is a very conservative country.

Money seems to be a big part of the culture/attitudes. If I ask my girlfriend, why everything is about money always, she will strongly deny it. But it is. What I said is a bad thing to say. On my conclusion thai culture is a lot about money but they don't see it in a negative way, like I do. It's normal to play with money. Use money to take care, love, get married, etc. I'm not talking about any rip offs here, nor services, it works the other way around too. My girlfriend buys us a trip to Hong Kong etc. But still, it's so much about money in Asia, in general I assume.

Thailand is also very much a class society, way more than any country in Europe. I guess, by tradition thais usually marry with people with equal money as their family. But many times not. Marriage is a great source of wealth for the whole family in any country. It can get pretty extreme in some cases in Thailand.

Take a look around. Bangkok/country side, rich/poor, humanists/scientists.....

They all have pros and cons. Relationships are about how two different personalities match.

Good luck, have fun.

my common sense says "flunk it"!!

....or i am worrying too much?

hey, first time there, dont know what to expect really....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

With the tv's closing at midnight it might be handy to have your laptop so you can play some videos. Most hotels hotels have tv but I've never seen a videoplayer in the room.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

At the Grace Hotel, northern Nana soi.

There was a vcd, maybe dvd? player in the double room. Very affortable option to crash anyway. Even cheaper than Nana Hotel. Double was about 1000 baht. Also you get the exotic feeling of being in a muslim country. They have some of the Arab channels too like Al-Jazeera. Great experience.

I would be interested to know the real figure for the number and power of television broadcast transmitters in the Kingdom. It would be most surprising to find that there are as many as quoted above that are 50KW.

UBC should not be affected as they transmit via cable and satellite, unless the concept is simply to prevent people from having TV's on after midnight - but I agree with others here who say that there really are not that many people watching TV after midnight - so this reduction is purely window-dressing...and would achieve virtually nothing.

Reduction of the A/C power consumption by setting temperatures in the 24 to 25 degree mark is a reasonable one - shutting down A/C for an hour or so at lunch time will end up costing money as the building will heat up and need to be cooled down again - and as people will be at work, they will certainly want to cool the place rapidly to avoid lost work time - so the A/C will be set down to 15 degrees or something to bring the temp down quickly - end result - no savings at all - maybe even an increase...

No A/C at night is simply not realistic - I for one cannot sleep in the 30 degree heat we get in the middle of the night - result - lost sleep, less productivity, lower output - overall loss for the Kingdom...

I am not trying to be negative, but I do think that a lot more thought needs to be put into this before they try to implement controls like this.

And as said earlier, this will have a very negative effct on tourism - and that WILL hurt the hip-pocket nerve...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I haven't used air con for months. I have a 300 baht fan.

Have you ever visited Burma? It's a real shaite when the electricity cuts all the time for hours and your fan stops too.. Then all you have is a hand operated traditional fan, but it's difficult to use while your sleeping..

Those from The African continent would buys them....In Thailand The Nigerians,South Africans, Guinee, Senegalese most all african nationality in Thailand would buys them....

This is all the sindicate....Some african nationals would come to Thailand set up here for acouple of months buys a fake French or Portugese PAssport and fly away....

This is what they do....

Afterall Most africans can Speak French...So thats where it all begins for French passport

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

After efects of colonialism.

I'm not an economist but I think I understand the problem.  Virtually all the oil used in Thailand is imported.  When you import oil you must pay for it and the money goes to a company in another country.  This means that Thai baht are being shipped overseas (Actually it is probably US dollars but this fact is really irrelevant).  What this means is that there is less money here in Thailand for everyone here.  Gradually Thailand looses its money and you end up with an insolvent country.  This is an overly simplistic model of what happens.  If you want to know more details and how economists view this you can read about 'foreign deficit' or 'balance of payments' or 'trade imbalance'.

Another way is to imagine Thialand as being a village.  There is a certain amount of money and if everyone employs each other and buys stuff only from people inside the village then the money supply doesn't change and it just goes round and round.  If everyone decides to buy something from outside the village, like anything, then some of the money will leave the village and there will be less for the villagers.  If there is not enough money in the village for people to buy stuff then there is no incentive for people in the village ot make stuff so people stop working because there is no money to be made.  People become unproductive......blah blah blah.....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes there's defenitely a trade deficit, even the book i just bought; Thailand Statistics by The Brooker Group Plc says, every year there has been a trade surplus?

Even the petrol/diesel subsidicing price for government per year figure was some crazy billions and billions of baht. And greatly critiziced by foreign economics. This is dept for government to keep the goods moving and economy in somekind of balance. But for how long will this work?

People are buying new cars, condos, plasma screen tvs, mobiles,, etc. all in debt. Making 1 to 30 year payment plans..

Creates huge consuming power, but where does all this money come from in reality?

This all starts to look just like the basic reasons for the 1997 crash. That time Thailand sucked in the whole region. So it's not only a local issue.

On my experience, referring to my electricity bill, air con consumes almost same as my 24/7 on fridge, computer, fan and stereo/dvd, plus occasional tv and lighting together. That's from the government electricity office since I live at a condo, so there can be no cheating involved like many apartments do in Bangkok.

??????

What is the real issue here?????

Some thoughts on the subject of Freedom:

"The root of all well-ordered social action is a sentiment of justice, which at once insists on personal freedom and is solicitous for the like freedom of others; and there at present exists but a very inadequate amount of this sentiment." (Herbert Spencer.)

The principal difficulty is that freedom is a concept, not a percept; we cannot point to freedom or stick out our hand and feel it.

"By liberty then we can only mean a power of acting or not acting, according to the determinations of the will; this is, if we choose to remain at rest, we may; if we choose to move, we also may." (David Hume)

"The only freedom which deserves the name, is that of pursuing our own good in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs, or impede their efforts to obtain it." (John Stuart Mill)

Freedom is a relative concept and can only be possessed by the individual: it cannot be possessed like a parcel of land, in common, by a group of people. An individual, a particular individual, either has freedom, or not.

"It is not the union of all liberties - liberty of conscience, of education, of association, of the press, of travel, of labour, of trade? In short, is not liberty the freedom of every person to make full use of his faculties, so long as he does not harm other persons while doing so?" (Frédéric Bastiat)

Liberty is a state of being, where an individual is sovereign and answerable only to himself; where each is free to put at stake: his own life, his own well-being, his own time and his own property; where each, at all times, lives and acts as he wants within society at his own cost or to his own benefit, as the case may be; subject only and always to the restriction that an individual cannot proceed to act if that act clashes with or is in violation of the liberty of another.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well said.

Action, non-action, but there's also unaction. Like Buddha would say.

Drive-by shootings and bombings have claimed the lives of more than 880 people since January 2004 in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat provinces, which are dominated by Muslims in this overwhelmingly Buddhist country.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What about the actions taken by Thai police/military/government, or maybe it's all same.

How many lives have they taken there?

Anybody can give any facts for this?

What? No Lao Khow

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Good point. A nice on is Krating Dum. Pretty smooth and mixes well....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Eh... Smooth Lao Khao...?

totster

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I already advertised this on my previous post.

Only thing I don't drink is the common brand of Lao Khao, which you can see at every Seven. But the Leaderprice brand is fine, and even cheaper. 

Leaderprice Lao Khao, it is smooth. Try it!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm intrigued... I will hunt it out next time I am there...

totster

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Try Big C or similar.

Way cheaper in volume than Singha. And 40 % alcohol of course.

What? No Lao Khow

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Good point. A nice on is Krating Dum. Pretty smooth and mixes well....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Eh... Smooth Lao Khao...?

totster

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I already advertised this on my previous post.

Only thing I don't drink is the common brand of Lao Khao, which you can see at every Seven. But the Leaderprice brand is fine, and even cheaper. 

Leaderprice Lao Khao, it is smooth. Try it!

All of the above would be my best answer.

But when she gets really mad with me, not being satisfied with my behavior, many times just 'cos she's unable to understand different ways of living and/or thinking than her own. It can get pretty violent. Throwing at me glasses etc. even stereo amplifier and tv once...well that didn't fly too far . Also attacking physicly. Well, her anger management has got better during the past few years..

What bothers me is that she don't want to talk about the problems, to solve them. For her no conversation needed. Same goes the other way too. When i get angry with her. She just goes over to her mothers crying and next day calls me like nothing had happened. Like she had forgotten everything about the problem.

Mai pen rai, let's repeat the mistakes of history????

Anyone know how to easilly brew home beer?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I have lots of experience of home brewing. But haven't seen any ingredients available in Thailand.

Anybody know??

I'm a happy user of Thai-English English-Thai dictionary by Benjawan Poomsan Becker, Paiboon Publishing. ISBN 1-887521-14-3.

Its 650 pages are devided in three sections, english, thai in roman, and thai. That feature comes handy if you're not a perfect thai reader yet. Almost pocket size, about an inch thick, but extensive enough for me so far. Good quality book, haven't spotted any mistakes.

Red Horse suits my palate the best. Propably due to its resemblance of scandinavian beers. Which I'm very fond of. It is difficult to acquire though. Mostly available only in big supermarkets etc..

Too many times I need to go for the most popular ones, Singha or Chang.

Anyway I drink to get drunk. Only thing I don't drink is the common brand of Lao Khao, which you can see at every Seven. But the Leaderprice brand is fine, and even cheaper.

I have a question to the administrators.  Considering that the govt seems to be more and more controlling and paranoid about critisism, how 'safe' are our postings?  I mean, will thaivisa.com give out our unique ISP no. if requested by the govt so they can identify the poster by name? 

I am reluctant to write freely until this is clarified.  Thanks.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's a good point.

Should we be worried of secret police, knocking on our doors, observing our behavior?

Christs, where is this country heading to?

War On Internet users?

Non of this would surprise me. But makes me very worried.

Update:

PM: I know nothing about anti-govt website closures

“I know nothing about it. You must ask the minister in charge,” said Thaksin.

“I only visit websites with useful content that can provide me with the knowledge I need, such as Google,” he said.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What a bulxxxit!!!!

Even I'm suprised he can be so stupid to say smtngh like that.

Amazing Thailand.

And Thailand means "Land of the Free"?  .....

National Security  = insecurity

Maybe it's time to set up a "Free Thai Movement" in Burma!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Land of free. No it doesn't mean that. Check the spelling.

Free Thai movement in Burma. Well, there is, free Shan movement.

There is no security in the world.

My friends staircase was stolen in Bangkok???? I mean lots of heavy wood??? Expensive sure.

I bought a new AIT prepaid number in Chiang Rai less than a month ago and nothing was asked.

I thought it was on already, to get info of new customers and etc..

Waiting to see how this registration thing goes. So where should i register? I have received no info what so ever?

Will be extended till 2008 propably...

Anyway I don't get the point. What good can this do to anybody? Even lot's of money will be lost in terms of required staff handling the registering.

???

Seems like Governments in Asia don't seems to go down well with critism. They may draw a policy and throw it out to the streets and ask everyone for their opinion BUT in the end..they deicide theirs is better. Sometimes i wonder what Democracy is all about!!!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There's a Freedom topic.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...pic=37207&st=15

I think it should relate somehow with real democracy

I asked my girlfriend why she wouldn't vote and she basically said because her vote wouldn't change anything anyway. Great!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Exactly how I feel in Finland. Common thing says I. Sad but true.

yea, you guys are making the pm sound so bad...This guy is great.

Have you ever seen him on TV---he never has to think too deeply about his response. Just a chuckle and a god-like response. That's character.

Anyway, anyone who watches Aum's soap opera (or even admits it) with his daughter is a worthy prime minister. 

Censorship or not, you are forgetting why a majority of Thai voters keep him in power---atleast what they have expressed to me. Look at where Thailand was economically when he came to office---what he assured Thais about the economy, OTOP, and where Thailand is now. Even when I first came here three years ago, my USD was worth 45-47 baht. Now look at it...39-41. It's almost starting to look like it did before 1997---especially with all the construction cranes everywhere, no matter where you go.

Let's just hope history is a teacher--not a broken record.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, Thailand has developed amazingly during the reign of Thaksin. I wouldn't give the credit to him though. I seriously think that anybody could have done it. It's more about global forces that his decisions.

Even the PM would have been me.

This situation seems to be moving towards burmese, lao, cambodian, and chinese ways of governance. I'm tempted to say why they don't just declare Thailand as a socialist state, but that would be foolish thing to do. This (constitutional democracy???) seems a lot better disguise. And anyway they are always better than their neighbours, in the eyes of the citizens...

Bush can get away with his things, why couldn't Taksin?