Eddy B

I totally agree. I can not stand to watch this rubbish, luckily though my wife understands English well so we can turn that crap off and watch shows from the UK and US. Thailand's soap operas are terrible and have pretty much the same plot depending on it's genre absolutely boring.

I loved when they show anything linked to religion, apart from the Wat and Chinese temple shot was classed as "Farang". So now a church and Santa is "farang". I am sure Muslims who are also farang must love this.

The yellow house book was also supposed to help foreigners living here long term get cheaper rates at public hospitals. That has been changed also, supposedly only nationals from Loas, Cambodia, and Myanmar with a yellow house book are still included into the same scheme as Thai's and all other nationalities have to pay full price.

I had the visit and was also informed before hand by the lady processing my application in the immigration office that 3,000 baht in a brown envelope was required to cover their expenses. My immigration office is in Nan.

I got mine back in October after 3 weeks. I was shocked how quick it had came back after hearing before about people waiting 2-3 months.

I like the cold during the day as I am teaching 40 students per class so it's more pleasant than the hotter months. The one thing I do not like is the morning showers, watching the light on the shower box to see that it's on and jumping in and out of the way of it's spray as it losses it's temperature. Also first thing in the morning and sitting for the morning bowel movement and the seat is bloody cold! Quite a shock!!

Why not hold this kind of thing at an airbase??

http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/WordSearchSetupForm.asp?campaign=flyout_teachers_puzzle_wordcross

Try this website out!

I hope it helps you out

How old is the kid and how old was he when you began the relationship with his mother. These are factors that can help people to give you more advice.

I remember 25+ years ago in England when a similar thing happened on a bus taking school kids on a trip and a can of pop/soda had fallen out of a kids bag and rolled all the way to the front of the bus under the drivers break pedal. It caused and accident with a few deaths and a lot of injuries. Since then the drivers area was sealed so this could not happen again. But it only takes something as simple as a bottle/shoe/floor guard to get jammed under the break to cause this kind of accident. RIP to the lady and I hope that this information is added to the new driver training lessons here in Thailand.

I think it is a good idea. The workers would most likely prefer a few thousand baht bonus than have to get dressed and go to a party that they would rather not have to go to. I know I would!

I voted you Weegee. He helped to get a fellow countryman back home, to his family when he was in dire need of help with no thoughts about himself. Well done that man

I re-newed my passport on the 23rd of October and it was back at the Trendy building within 3 weeks.

There is a German saying that roughly translates as "Clothes make the man".

Thai society is at least 50 (to a 100?) years behind western countries in these topics.

Impartiality is widely unknown in Thailand. Master/servant relation is common.

No hiso Thai greets a hotel room maid, will not even notice the presence of a gardener.

And sure he will not appear half naked in public as pictured above.

Uniform, stripes and stars make a person.

More than a 1000 (!) highly decorated generals.

A world record maybe?

Don't they look nice?:

http://www.rta.mi.th/command/command-36/command-37.html

(and thats just the four(!) and three star rank of the army)

Do you know the story of "Captain of Köpenick"?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Voigt

Friedrich Wilhelm Voigt (13 February 1849 – 3 January 1922) was a German impostor who, in 1906, masqueraded as a Prussian military officer, rounded up a number of soldiers under his command, and "confiscated" more than 4,000 marks from a municipal treasury. Although he served two years in prison, he became a folk hero as The Captain of Köpenick (Der About this sound Hauptmann von Köpenick (help·info)) and was pardoned by Kaiser Wilhelm II.

Maybe still doable in Thailand today.

I just looked at the link with the Thai army officers. Why in the lord do they have so many medals? Thailand has not been in any serious combat for along time. Are these just tallied up from their days as a boy scout/army cadet??

I think it is time for Thailand to stop looking at these surveys and just take a good hard look at themselves and do something about it! If they are going to beat and stop corruption they need to do it themselves as you know they will not listen to anyone else, just like a spoilt child. This will be not easy as it will like teaching a child to walk, how to behave and to have a good moral character. I do not see these change coming soon even if they started today.

Possibly the jelly fish are spawning again

I mostly use English. Often I will ask my My Thai wife who is pretty good in English a question in English and also follow up with some Thai just to make sure. No one likes being locked out of the house, so I ask if she has the keys and then make sure in Thai. She only buggered it up once and so thats why I keep her on her toes because most the time a foreign language becomes white noise to a person once you learn to block it out. Especially when the temples or pick-up trucks are at 100% above normal sound levels.

Sounds like they are trying to squeeze even more money out of the long staying expat.

A few years ago I was asked the question "How much money do you send home to your parents per month"? by a Thai teacher. My response was none of course. She could not understand and even asked me why not? I said because they are still working and they pay into pensions for when they retire and they do not want my money or even ask for any. She was gob-smacked and said she always pays money to her parents every month. I was not rude to her but just told her that I did not ask to born, I was and so, as parents they have to take responsibility for it. Not expecting me to be a money making machine for them in the future. Obviously, if my parents as they get older require help I will but it is not pushed upon us as it is in most Asian cultures. She just looked completely blank. It's what they are taught from a young age and is ingrained into their minds and not alot will change it.