KhunHehe

Commercial real estate values are plummeting in Huay Kwang.

Not.

Hehe. Hehehe.

It's not abuse of power. It's good business for the police to take out the competition.

At least that's what Prom Pong Somchai told me.

Name change to change the past. Very pragmatic and superstitious. And honest. Haha.

#2 about sums it up.

Nope.

Carl's in Nana Square is the best. Roughly 169 baht for the Famous Star with cheese. Carl's is hit and miss though. If the burgers are fresh, they're excellent--no different from the USA. But my last visit the burgers were premaid. The bun was stale, and the meat was cold.

Subway is consistently good. A footlong will set you back 219 baht. And it's no different from the US.

McDonald's is consistent, too, though they sometimes pass off old fries.




This Argentine post is a veiled advert.

If you leave a well-paying job behind and come here with dreams of finding the "perfect one," you'll be sorely disappointed. This is a country that knows how to serve the tourist incredibly well but does not invite outsiders. It's very provincial (if by provincial you mean odd and often irrational). Many actions are governed by a strong belief in luck, and Thai pray to a god they say doesn't exist.

If you're adopted into a group/community/family, you are almost an employee and expected to fill a need--and needs are communal. The expectations are never clear up front, and they often change/evolve. Generosity here is looked upon as foolishness. One Thai woman told me, "You give to help, and they hate you for it." There, of course, are exceptions to this, but there are also Powerball winners. I wouldn't spend everything I have to buy tickets.

The world is fallen, cursed. There is no paradise on Earth.

Sobering read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ascites

Are you sure they're not Thai?

Here's the formula:

1. Good, consistent sleep. (Difficult sometimes if you're sensitive to noise here in Thailand)

2. Weight lifting adds muscle and added muscle raises metabolism.

3. Don't starve yourself. Eat all you want, but make sure it's healthy. You'll be happier, and you body won't shift into starvation/preservation mode.

4. Cardio--at least 20-30 minutes and break a sweat into minute 6. Cardio continues to burn calories for a few hours after one finishes. Extended cardio doesn't do anything to burn calories. (I've seen many pum pui (for lack of a better term) women ride the cardio equipment from dusk to dawn with few results.

5. Don't go to the gym everyday and work the same areas. Work different areas each day. Rest worked areas every other day.

6. Lift correctly, or you'll hurt yourself. It doesn't matter how heavy. If you're lifting correctly, your body is going to respond positively. Nobody cares how much you lift anyway.

7. Eat whatever you want one night a week. It's give you something to look forward to, and you won't feel

8. Giving up potato chips, Snickers bars, and other junk food is just like quitting smoking. Sooner or later you don't even think about them.

9. Eat som tam.

10. A lot of excess weight is actually food collected in the bowel. Increasing intake of high fiber foods (kiwi, corn, brown rice, vegetables) and water will get things moving. You'll have lots more energy, and feeling better is just as good--if not better--than looking good. It'll give you positive reinforcement to stay on track.

11. Drink water regularly. Lack of energy is often due to dehydration. More energy means a more positive outlook.

12. Avoid 7/11.

13. Thai food is loaded with oil. A lot of people say cut the carbs. Not necessarily. Cut the simple, calorie vacant carbs (sugars), and definitely cut the fat. The body expends a lot of energy converting carbs into fat, but fat is usually stored immediately--especially if one is in starvation mode.

14. Metabolism is like a furnace. You work out and are active, you burn calories. In a blazing furnace, you can toss in a lot of fuel. Again--don't starve yourself. You can eat until you're full, and if you eat good food, you'll be okay. Your body craves what it needs, and eating junk food won't satisfy the craving but maintain it. If you eat good food, you will be satisfied and not feel like you have to eat more.

15. Forget mayo.

16. Pizza is actually lower calorie than most people think. Just don't get the meat toppings. Dolores pizza near McDonalds across from Lumphini Park has some of the best pizza I've had in Bangkok. And it's only 60 baht each with a wide variety of extra topping. The vendors are very nice.

17. Babies burn a lot of calories just lying in the crib. Why? They're active. Be more active. You'll be surprised how much better you look and feel.

18. Do not hurt yourself in the gym. If your joints hurt when you lift, you're lifting incorrectly. You can build muscle and bone, but you cannot build up tendons, joints, etc. Be very careful.

Okay...you've already stopped reading so I'll end it here.

Hope all are happier and healthier!

You have a lot of excellent points there. Reminds me of a restaurant I go to occasionally. Western food but the owner is particular about the quality of the food. (it shows in the price) also the cleanliness you can see it in his kitchens and rest rooms. He says you might not know the difference between quality food but your body will.

The one warning I would give if you are going to be doing weights do some research on the effects on your joints at an elderly age. Particularly the knees. every pound you put on adds six more pounds of pressure to the knee. Check the hips and shoulders also. I am of the belief that to many people work out with out thinking of the effect years down the road. Just looking for that instantaneous effect. I know I am but I don't expect to ever find it.

Very, very true about the joints and ligaments. You can't build them up. Bones & muscle, yes. So those who steroids--on top of the other negative affects--really mess up their bodies and will most likely experience a very painful middle age. I visited my doctor more than a few years ago, and he asked, "Are you on steroids?" The fact was I wasn't and his question was really flattering. But I was in the gym working out hard four days a week and following everything above. It was a 6-month run, and the results were good (though no six pack).

A year or two ago my doctor told me that people who live healthy lives and forego the weights (to a large extent) live longer, happier lives. He also said fitness is pretty boring. He's right. Sports is actually more fun.

because they're slow.

Just watch how the SET trades. That will either confirm or confound these silly assumptions.

EVERYONE in the north talks about Bangkok sinking; NO ONE in Bangkok talks about it at all.

The grey matter is in Bangkok. The SET is in Bangkok. The money is in Bangkok. The party is in the north.

Choose your sources wisely.

The grey matter is in Bangkok. Oh, please. What a load of s**t. And look at what they created.

If they had grey matter they would have moved years ago.

You've either never been to Chiang Mai or only short time. Hahaha.

I hope he never has to apply for a Chinese visa in Bangkok. That's the toughest I've ever experienced.

Just watch how the SET trades. That will either confirm or confound these silly assumptions.

EVERYONE in the north talks about Bangkok sinking; NO ONE in Bangkok talks about it at all.

The grey matter is in Bangkok. The SET is in Bangkok. The money is in Bangkok. The party is in the north.

Choose your sources wisely.

Hahahahaha!!!! They have eyes, yet they see not. Or maybe they wiped the steam off the mirror. Funny!

When people buy condos on the fringes of the city in beautiful, empty high rises and talk at length about how much they'll make and how the surrounding communities will be built up, oh, yes! This is bubble land.

The smart money is in the new units in city center. Though they seem expensive, their value will not plummet when the bubble pops.

I'm having a tough time finding a list of Yamaha scooter service centers in Bangkok--preferably near Asoke MRT/BTS.

While in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, I found them everywhere.

All the links I've found Googling are old and lead to dead ends.

Does anyone have a current location?

The battery is dead; otherwise, everything is fine--I bought it new, but I'll need the bike picked up for service.

Grateful for any leads.

Thank you

If I could tell you I'd be living there full time myself. Teaching is one of the few options if you are suitably qualified.

Applicants must have a pulse. I don't see many stiffs in the profession...actually, I do.

If you love westerners, Phuket; if you love noise and partying, Chiang Mai; if you love crowds and pollution, Bangkok; if you want to save money and don't mind being bored out of your mind, Chiang Rai; if you love tourists--especially Russians, who have no concept of deodorant and love to hang with the convalescent crowd, Koh Chang. If you love yourself, go elsewhere.

It saves face by putting the blame (or credit) at the feet of a power they can't identify. Perhaps that's why I didn't get a "thank you" when I bought her the car.

Bankers are arrogant know-nothings or liars as my father used to say.

Thanks for calling the top.

you're love struck. reality hasn't set in yet.

Everything in Thailand is about intercourse--if by "intercourse" you mean constant babbling.

I love the combination of elements. Like pasting together quotes from a phrase book and calling it eloquence: A liberating ride on a motorbike through the countryside, a roll in the grass with a made up "model," a bowlegged, top heavy model barely making her way back to the bike, and a babbling, old Thai guy talking like a prophet.

Ya never see this in Thailand, do ya?