Weatherman

Have done my best throughout my life to remove any trace of this vile flaw from my character as soon as I become aware of its raising its ugly head.

Never acted on it that I can remember, speech more difficult, thoughts most of all.

Can't see anything ever positive about it - perhaps you're also including envy, as a motivation for chasing after material things? Maybe for positive accomplishments, but seems a stretch to twist it into a virtue, shades of Gordon Gekko.

It would be very interesting to find out where that manager got their training.

This is the way it should be, but unfortunately rare anywhere in the world.

You should share the name and location of the restaurant in recognition and thanks.

PS if you were Thai they would have charged extra for the free treat (sorry couldn't resist)

YankeeVet, interesting and honest post regarding the conflicts you feel regarding the afterlife and your religion in general. I'd be interested to know what "evidence in science for creation theory and God" you know of and how that stacks up against the evidence for the non-creationist theory.

No-one is denying you can have mental experiences that change your views radically. The question that is not answered by these experiences is: do they arise from outside or inside your head?

All of our reality arises from inside your head, that's the only stuff you can be really sure of.

Everything we project as taking place outside is a non-objective interpretation of inputs from our limited perceptive senses.

Sciences strives to make those interpretations more objective, and while the side-effect results have certainly improved our world in material ways, using that approach to explain the fundamental questions about "reality" itself is chasing unicorns.

Top scientist readily acknowledge this, are all too humble about the limits of scientific inquiry and the paltry state of our current knowledge.

Only lazy thinkers believe science holds all the answers, and dismiss questions outside its domain.

And that includes those who look for "evidence in science for creation theory and God".

So, in answer to the OP, yeh, I've met a few ... great guys all of them (well the two that I've met!).

Actually, probably the biggest regular meeting when the guys get together is the Issan Farmers meeting when the guys agree to meet up every couple of months, many with their partners, drink the beer and undoubtedly swap stories and bullsh*it to each other.

In the future, as the circumstances allow, I hope to meet more of you.

But there is one that I can never meet enough with ...

MissFarmGirl-151569.jpg ...

MissFarmGirl

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Watch out, I heard she's married. . .

One of my favorite dishes at my (used to be) favorite (used to be) cheap Thai restaurant - southern-style yellow curried crabmeat, all de-shelled already, lots of meat enough for two - used to be B120 less than five years ago. Now 380!

Their deep-fried crabmeat balls haven't gone up as much, probably just added more filler.

I've heard Citibank ATMs don't charge the fee either - can anyone confirm that from actual usage?

And does any UK bank/coop/broker offer the same "pay you back" scheme on overseas ATM fees as Schwab in the US?

I'd put a Carl's Jr double meat burger up against anything else I've had in Thailand (or China, or Korea).

It's still fast food, and it doesn't pretend to be anything else- but they are good.

When Fuddruckers opens up in Bangkok, I may change my mind.

Carl's great, excellent shakes too (see obesity thread).

But have you actually eaten at the places that charge 5-10x the price? Not saying they're good value, but not competing in the same league either.

The bigger problem is the depression.

Taking the steps to overcome the obesity will definitely help, to the extent you are successful you'll boost your self-confidence to improve your life in other areas.

Regular exercise has been proven to help with depression, so even if you mostly use diet for the weight loss, do exercise you enjoy, ideally every day even if it's just 15/20 minutes, minimum every other day.

Change your routines, get control of your sleep patterns, get out and meet people in real life not just online.

But don't try to change too many habits at a time, focus on the most important one or two at first and let the others slide if necessary until the key ones have become automatic habits - usually 6-8 weeks.

Only a limited amount of willpower per day is available, takes time to build that up with positive reinforcement, patterns of success.

"Peer coaching", having a buddy with similar goals will help, make your current "baby step" goals public and check in with them at least once a day to report how you're doing.

Read postive self-help books, maybe even listen to tapes/MP3s, meditation helps too.

Best of luck!

So, does anybody know a uk based lawyer who has experience dealing with farang thai divorce?

What you want is a good lawyer that specializes in divorce and particularly family custody.

The fact that she's Thai is truly irrelevant to how he would proceed, as others have pointed out it's a pretty well-worn path, cut and dry process legally - but not for you emotionally of course.

If you want to try get custody yourself, you will need to get the gloves off hire detectives whatever it takes and prove her unfit, and have suitable arrangements for raising the kids in place in advance. Nasty business that, I would not advise it unless you are certain in your heart the kids are better of with you than her, for their own sake.

There are likely to be peer support groups and organisations set up to help other men in your position where you can get help and advice in person in addition to posting on the net.

I'm sure many have already watched Jill Taylor's "stroke of insight talk, pretty cool, she doesn't assert anything "religious" but. . .

http://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight.html

Wow, hopefully one day I can say that I'm not scared of anything but honestly have never met anyone with no fear.

Yes everyone has fear - the trick is going through it doing what you have to do instead of avoiding it with diversions.

Yes that "ballpark" was way low.

But your choices will be dictated by what vendors have a decent signal at your location, determined by your own testing as outlined above. True, DTAC, AIS, 3BB and TOT are the main vendors to look for. Don't bother looking on the web, as far as I know the vendor sets the rates, there aren't different places or resellers with better deals for a particular vendor, your nearest 7-11 or from the vendor's shop direct will end up pretty much the same.

I paid B200 for an "i-Mobile 3GX" SIM card with 1GB pre-loaded on it. Top-ups are B100 per half a GB, so about what you quoted above.

But that ISP may well not have any coverage at all in the area where you end up, just as an example.

Everywhere in the world, Thais too - poor people know how much a little help can make a big difference.

In the case of the UK, everyone should take as much as they can, because after the Government and MPs have lined their own pockets, they just start lining the pockets of foreign Governments with overseas aid, and not to mention all these immigrants that keep flooding in, and depriving OAPs of their annual pension increases in some countries.

Can justify any crime the same way then.

Adding to the wrongs don't make it right

whats wrong with taking something you are legally entitled to? Its where people are spending it that seems to be the issue

As long as you are truly entitled and in need.

Possum's statement could be used to justify someone "bending the rules" just because of others' crimes or just feeling entitled because "I paid my taxes" as if that's a voluntary good deed deserving extra rewards.

Most likely not, but at their discretion, they make up the rules as they go, depending on their mood and if they like the look of you or not.

In the case of the UK, everyone should take as much as they can, because after the Government and MPs have lined their own pockets, they just start lining the pockets of foreign Governments with overseas aid, and not to mention all these immigrants that keep flooding in, and depriving OAPs of their annual pension increases in some countries.

Can justify any crime the same way then.

Adding to the wrongs don't make it right

Very rare for them to ask a farang to open bags at the airport.

I think rare bikes like this would be hard if not impossible to fine in Thailand

Yes true you didn't say that it was the only reason. Clearly you are more enlightened than most folk on this issue so I retract my 50s thinking comment and extend my apologies for an incorrect interpretation/assumption on my part.

Wow, now that's rare to see, appreciated very much. Highly recommend "The Power Broker", bio of Robert Moses the brilliant megalomaniac that shaped New York's post-war urban landscape, huge influence in America and the world.

Thanks I will check it out.

You mention that BKKs raod surface area is about 8% of the city land (BMA province I assume and not includ arrounds). Essentially that seems to be similar in range to small European cities, yet BKK has more of a spawling NA city design - though not by design! I suspect that even is that road area is increased by 50% or even doubled to 16% of the land area then there will be little discernible difference.

Fix some of the issues I mentioned above, congestion points and widen some sois and feeder roads and it is difficult to see it making much difference overall difference when there is little incentive to leave the car at home and people are prepared to waste hours in traffice for status and perceived convenience. Jakarta and Manila have made the same mistakes. HCM is going that way building more overpasses and new roads which soon after become clogged with more traffic (The metro only started last year).

The one difference in BKK is that property developers have been jumping on the metro bandwagon building new condos adjacent to metro lines which in the long term makes those occupants less car dependent. Should have the Hong Kong MTR model with a centralised agency which makes money from property developments on or near stations to help pay for new lines/extensions. (Here lines are built according to politicians vested property interests - the Purple line being the prime example with the then coalition partner BJT pollies pushing it before other lines.

Oh and one of these decades the BMA needs to enter the 70s or 80s and do an integrated Transport Plan for BKK.

We can dream - http://people.reed.edu/~reyn/Bangkokrail.jpg