itsrebel

What a load of bull. People who get drunk would get drunk everywhere. I am one of them and I have gotten drunk pretty much in every country that I have lived in, including some of the western countries.

And on another note, I can't imagine going through life sober.

Thanks guys. I think I will skip this one. Will probably look at other options mentioned here or I found online elsewhere. I really don't want to get addicted to another substance.

What is really worrying is that the doctor prescribed this without even mentioning any of the possible side effects and actually said that this was non-addictive. There is enough and more anecdotal evidence on the net that says otherwise.

Anyway, thanks much.

Cheers!

I was this afternoon prescribed Zolpidem Tartrate 10 mg (Aurbindo) for insomnia by a GP. Does anyone have any experience with this specific tablet? I don't really like to take pills, but it has gotten to a point where, unless I pass out from alcohol, I can't sleep.

What bothers me about this presription is that the doctor didn't really think too much or ask any serious questions. It was at a large hospital in Bangkok and I had gone to get a medical certificate for work permit renewal. I mentioned to her that I am having trouble sleeping. All she asked if i had anxeity and I said no. Then she prescribed this and said it is not addictive (I read on this forum that it is addictive). And that was that.

Would really appreciate any comments/reviews about the tablet. I bought it but want to know everything I can before I take it. I am looking up reviews online, and thought that I will ask here as well.

Thanks in advance.

Cheers!

"No God at all, simply an evolutionary process

as Far as mirrors are concerned,

a good sense of humor is a true indication of intelligence.."

I am guessing sarcasm doesn't count then...

Misplaced sarcasm does not count,

What are you being sarcastic about? Perhaps you misunderstood and was to quick to pull the trigger.

Or perhaps I did not understand you

please explain

It ain't sarcasm is one has to explain...

may be I wasn't good enough with it, or....

I do have this question for you. Where does your belief (or conclusion) that it is our "purpose to have children" come from?

"No God at all, simply an evolutionary process

as Far as mirrors are concerned,

a good sense of humor is a true indication of intelligence.."

I am guessing sarcasm doesn't count then...

Boy, you all need some antidepressants ,

"You cant ask them if they want to be born, because they are not born yet, Don't you think it would be some what to arrogant for you to decide their right to exist?

In the first quote do you or do you not lay responsibility on Gods feet?

On the second quote, do you or do you not say

"I feel personally" from that statement should not then discern that what you state is your personal feeling?

Did you or did you not say " to pure hell on earth in some cases" and isn't this the earth you live in?

Fro the last quote ,shouldn't I assume from it. that some times you wish you were never born?

First, thank you for reading what I wrote, and I do feel strongly about this particular subject, the right of one to make the decision for another, whether or not he or she should be committed to living on earth for up to 100 years, a very long time.

Regarding what you quoted, I do not say that there is a god, but IF there is no god then we still cannot in all good conscience take responsibility to decide for another that he or she will be forced to live life in this world. This is why I have never made such a decision, and why I could not feel right about deciding to have children. What could I say to my children if they decided that life was not as good as I had always thought it to be? I would have nothing to justify my decision to have children.

If there is a god, and if one sincerely believes in this god, then one can follow the teachings of a god, and then avoid taking responsibility for having children. If the god asked that man go forth and procreate, for example, then that is what must be done. If the crappola hit the fan, if the child was hit by cancer, and had downs syndrome, and also had hydroencephalitis when abortion therapy was forbidden, then no one could lay this responsibility and man's feet. God did it.

We all are at risk of being condemned to live a hell on earth, witness Buchenwald or piles of skulls in Cambodia, or the lifeless limbs of of Stephen Hawking. When something like this happens to our children, then we better be able to say one of two things, god made me do it, or I was thoughtless and did not fully understand the potential ramifications of my actions in the sack.

If you like risk, then you will love this life.

I do not enjoy risk for risk's sake,

But some others enjoy dying on Everest while their family waits at home.

I may argue two sides of the issue, yes, but that is because this subject is not that easily answered, whether or not we even have the right to have children.

I believe that we do not have that right.

And in traditional societies, most people would say that they have an obligation to have children to work on the farm, and to care for their parents, and to pass on the family name, maybe even to provide people to fight wars.

There, too, is always the motherland, say in the former USSR, which needs children for various things.

Just as Mao needed children to build levies by digging with spoons, if required,

Another apocryphal tale, and Mao or Zhou never said that.

This is a very important thing to get straight:

Do we have the right to father a child, or bear a child into this world?

And often ones hell on earth is not brought about by any personal decision or lack of decision, or lack of fortitude, or depravity.

It just happens, because life is risk.

(Am I a native speaker of English?, you ask. Yes, sometimes I wonder myself. You decide.)

First let me say that it is good that you are thinking about this things

Of course we have the right to have children

This is empirical, it is our purpose

it is the only right that exists,

everything else derives it's self from that right, or purpose

You cant ask them if they want to be born, because they are not born yet, Don't you think it would be some what to arrogant for you to decide their right to exist?

Should you not let them make that choice them selves?

The question has being asked

What came first? the egg or the chicken?

The answer is obvious

The egg, the chicken is simply the egg's idea of making an other egg

and that;s all you are my friend, and egg trying to make an other egg

Any egg that abandons that simple proposition is simply an ex-egg

or what some might say egg drop soup alt=laugh.png pagespeed_url_hash=4020895376 width=20 height=20>

Should you not let them make that choice them selves?"

So what you are suggesting is that everyone has a child or two and then when those children realise that it isn't worth it, they commit suicide?

Not every one has to procreate, in fact after seeing some of them and reading some of these post replies, I highly recommend that they don.t alt=laugh.png pagespeed_url_hash=4020895376 width=20 height=20>

But some of as have to

What do you suggest?

we end the human specie thru attrition, because some of us are not having a good time here?

Any way , this thread is About religion and If you believe or not

I said all I want to say on the subject of procreation .

Personally I am all for it. I have contributed a beautiful, and smart daughter ,

and in case I want to contribute more, I practice with my wife every chance I get alt=laugh.png pagespeed_url_hash=4020895376 width=20 height=20>

You also said that "we have the right to have children" -- so your recommendation does not mean anything.

Also, as I understand, this thread was about god (not religion) and if you believe in it or not.

For the record, I don't believe in god and I don't think it should be a right to have children. I am happy for you that your have contributed a beautiful and smart daughter, but I would still like to hear from her what she thinks.

You obviously did not understand what I said

I said that it is our purpose to have children, every thing else is derivative of that purpose

did you read the comment about the egg and the chicken?

But not all of us

In fact I said that some of you clearly ,should not procreate, Please!!

I am sorry you might think that things look so bad we should not have children,

But if you all looked like me you all might have a different opinion alt=tongue.png pagespeed_url_hash=3761137055 width=20 height=20>

No, I understood!

Just one question though. Is it your god or my god who decides whose "purpose" it is to procreate?

Or is it just based on the reflection in the mirror?

In the first quote do you or do you not lay responsibility on Gods feet?

On the second quote, do you or do you not say

"I feel personally" from that statement should not then discern that what you state is your personal feeling?

Did you or did you not say " to pure hell on earth in some cases" and isn't this the earth you live in?

Fro the last quote ,shouldn't I assume from it. that some times you wish you were never born?

First, thank you for reading what I wrote, and I do feel strongly about this particular subject, the right of one to make the decision for another, whether or not he or she should be committed to living on earth for up to 100 years, a very long time.

Regarding what you quoted, I do not say that there is a god, but IF there is no god then we still cannot in all good conscience take responsibility to decide for another that he or she will be forced to live life in this world. This is why I have never made such a decision, and why I could not feel right about deciding to have children. What could I say to my children if they decided that life was not as good as I had always thought it to be? I would have nothing to justify my decision to have children.

If there is a god, and if one sincerely believes in this god, then one can follow the teachings of a god, and then avoid taking responsibility for having children. If the god asked that man go forth and procreate, for example, then that is what must be done. If the crappola hit the fan, if the child was hit by cancer, and had downs syndrome, and also had hydroencephalitis when abortion therapy was forbidden, then no one could lay this responsibility and man's feet. God did it.

We all are at risk of being condemned to live a hell on earth, witness Buchenwald or piles of skulls in Cambodia, or the lifeless limbs of of Stephen Hawking. When something like this happens to our children, then we better be able to say one of two things, god made me do it, or I was thoughtless and did not fully understand the potential ramifications of my actions in the sack.

If you like risk, then you will love this life.

I do not enjoy risk for risk's sake,

But some others enjoy dying on Everest while their family waits at home.

I may argue two sides of the issue, yes, but that is because this subject is not that easily answered, whether or not we even have the right to have children.

I believe that we do not have that right.

And in traditional societies, most people would say that they have an obligation to have children to work on the farm, and to care for their parents, and to pass on the family name, maybe even to provide people to fight wars.

There, too, is always the motherland, say in the former USSR, which needs children for various things.

Just as Mao needed children to build levies by digging with spoons, if required,

Another apocryphal tale, and Mao or Zhou never said that.

This is a very important thing to get straight:

Do we have the right to father a child, or bear a child into this world?

And often ones hell on earth is not brought about by any personal decision or lack of decision, or lack of fortitude, or depravity.

It just happens, because life is risk.

(Am I a native speaker of English?, you ask. Yes, sometimes I wonder myself. You decide.)

First let me say that it is good that you are thinking about this things

Of course we have the right to have children

This is empirical, it is our purpose

it is the only right that exists,

everything else derives it's self from that right, or purpose

You cant ask them if they want to be born, because they are not born yet, Don't you think it would be some what to arrogant for you to decide their right to exist?

Should you not let them make that choice them selves?

The question has being asked

What came first? the egg or the chicken?

The answer is obvious

The egg, the chicken is simply the egg's idea of making an other egg

and that;s all you are my friend, and egg trying to make an other egg

Any egg that abandons that simple proposition is simply an ex-egg

or what some might say egg drop soup alt=laugh.png pagespeed_url_hash=4020895376 width=20 height=20>

"You cant ask them if they want to be born, because they are not born yet, Don't you think it would be some what to arrogant for you to decide their right to exist?

Should you not let them make that choice them selves?"

So what you are suggesting is that everyone has a child or two and then when those children realise that it isn't worth it, they commit suicide?

Boy, you all need some antidepressants ,

Not every one has to procreate, in fact after seeing some of them and reading some of these post replies, I highly recommend that they don.t alt=laugh.png pagespeed_url_hash=4020895376 width=20 height=20>

But some of as have to

What do you suggest?

we end the human specie thru attrition, because some of us are not having a good time here?

Any way , this thread is About religion and If you believe or not

I said all I want to say on the subject of procreation .

Personally I am all for it. I have contributed a beautiful, and smart daughter ,

and in case I want to contribute more, I practice with my wife every chance I get alt=laugh.png pagespeed_url_hash=4020895376 width=20 height=20>

You also said that "we have the right to have children" -- so your recommendation does not mean anything.

Also, as I understand, this thread was about god (not religion) and if you believe in it or not.

For the record, I don't believe in god and I don't think it should be a right to have children. I am happy for you that your have contributed a beautiful and smart daughter, but I would still like to hear from her what she thinks.

I said that in some cases life is hell, but I did not say this was true for me.

I was talking about vent man, for example.

The man who used to sit outside my university in the winter cross-legged on steam vents to keep warm.

The steam was coming up from the hell below, I imagine.

Chok Di, to you.

PS: I prefer not so much risk, and more assurances of a social safety net, for one. But then, you will probably say I am a communist, or a socialist, or an atheist, which I am. Chok Mai Di, very often this is the case.

Perhaps English is not your native language and you are not expressing your self properly, or perhaps it is my fault and I am not understanding you properly. Trust me I read your post several times trying to decipher what you meant because you seem to be arguing both sides of the proposition.

but tell me , did you or did you not say, and I quote:

"If you cannot lay the responsibility at God's feet,

Then can you accept the responsibility yourselves,

To believe that you are fit to decide whether or not to bring a human life into this world, to face torment, and pain, as well as some pleasure, with no assurance of success, and likely great hardship.

Who are you to decide, anyway?"

"I feel, personally, that I do not have the right to make this decision for someone else.

I do not have the right to decide for another human whether or not he/she should be forced to exist in this world,

Sometimes for over 100 long years.

That is right. How can I feel that I have the right to condemn another to pure hell on earth, in some cases.

There are no guarantees in life, and it is the biggest risk of all,"

"I would never presume to be so omniscient that I could logically make this decision for another human.

And, sometimes, I also wish that no one had taken it upon themselves to make this decision for me."

I'm I misquoting anything you said?

In the first quote do you or do you not lay responsibility on Gods feet?

On the second quote, do you or do you not say

"I feel personally" from that statement should not then discern that what you state is your personal feeling?

Did you or did you not say " to pure hell on earth in some cases" and isn't this the earth you live in?

Fro the last quote ,shouldn't I assume from it. that some times you wish you were never born?

First, thank you for reading what I wrote, and I do feel strongly about this particular subject, the right of one to make the decision for another, whether or not he or she should be committed to living on earth for up to 100 years, a very long time.

Regarding what you quoted, I do not say that there is a god, but IF there is no god then we still cannot in all good conscience take responsibility to decide for another that he or she will be forced to live life in this world. This is why I have never made such a decision, and why I could not feel right about deciding to have children. What could I say to my children if they decided that life was not as good as I had always thought it to be? I would have nothing to justify my decision to have children.

If there is a god, and if one sincerely believes in this god, then one can follow the teachings of a god, and then avoid taking responsibility for having children. If the god asked that man go forth and procreate, for example, then that is what must be done. If the crappola hit the fan, if the child was hit by cancer, and had downs syndrome, and also had hydroencephalitis when abortion therapy was forbidden, then no one could lay this responsibility and man's feet. God did it.

We all are at risk of being condemned to live a hell on earth, witness Buchenwald or piles of skulls in Cambodia, or the lifeless limbs of of Stephen Hawking. When something like this happens to our children, then we better be able to say one of two things, god made me do it, or I was thoughtless and did not fully understand the potential ramifications of my actions in the sack.

If you like risk, then you will love this life.

I do not enjoy risk for risk's sake,

But some others enjoy dying on Everest while their family waits at home.

I may argue two sides of the issue, yes, but that is because this subject is not that easily answered, whether or not we even have the right to have children.

I believe that we do not have that right.

And in traditional societies, most people would say that they have an obligation to have children to work on the farm, and to care for their parents, and to pass on the family name, maybe even to provide people to fight wars.

There, too, is always the motherland, say in the former USSR, which needs children for various things.

Just as Mao needed children to build levies by digging with spoons, if required,

Another apocryphal tale, and Mao or Zhou never said that.

This is a very important thing to get straight:

Do we have the right to father a child, or bear a child into this world?

And often ones hell on earth is not brought about by any personal decision or lack of decision, or lack of fortitude, or depravity.

It just happens, because life is risk.

(Am I a native speaker of English?, you ask. Yes, sometimes I wonder myself. You decide.)

First let me say that it is good that you are thinking about this things

Of course we have the right to have children

This is empirical, it is our purpose

it is the only right that exists,

everything else derives it's self from that right, or purpose

You cant ask them if they want to be born, because they are not born yet, Don't you think it would be some what to arrogant for you to decide their right to exist?

Should you not let them make that choice them selves?

The question has being asked

What came first? the egg or the chicken?

The answer is obvious

The egg, the chicken is simply the egg's idea of making an other egg

and that;s all you are my friend, and egg trying to make an other egg

Any egg that abandons that simple proposition is simply an ex-egg

or what some might say egg drop soup alt=laugh.png pagespeed_url_hash=4020895376 width=20 height=20>

"You cant ask them if they want to be born, because they are not born yet, Don't you think it would be some what to arrogant for you to decide their right to exist?

Should you not let them make that choice them selves?"

So what you are suggesting is that everyone has a child or two and then when those children realise that it isn't worth it, they commit suicide?

Some of the things that drive some of us away from religion:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/crisis-in-south-africa-the-shocking-practice-of-corrective-rape--aimed-at-curing-lesbians-9033224.html

"One such religious leader is Reverend Oscar Peter Bougardt, a senior pastor in the Mitchell's Plain township, 20 miles from Cape Town. "Homosexuals can change," he told Carter. "Homosexuality is a curse... a wicked influence... they come after our young people. Any clergy or priest that approves [of] homosexuality is from the pit of hell.""

I am not sure if I am allowed to paste links to news articles here. If the mods delete this, you can search for "Corrective rape" and South Africa to get the story. It is in The Independent.

As I get older (and hopefully wiser) most of what was learnt in my informative student days has been assigned to a cloudy pot of memories. However one thing said to me by an alcohol-fuelled theology professor at a Christmas party has stuck in my mind and remains clear in detail to this day. In fact it changed my whole view of religion. Coming from a committed Christian family upbringing and being a very naïve first year student it affected me enough to seek him out on my return after the holiday break.

He had said during an open conversation to several students “I believe that all religions are a form of controlling people en-masse and the size of financial and material assets dictates how widespread that religion is.”

When I later confronted him on this and asked him if he was aware of what he had said and did he say it because it was some kind of weird Christmas rant, he replied “Listen I have a comfortable job here which provides for me and my family. I am expected to say nothing that rocks the boat and I am here to help students attain degrees by which I am judged. I hate my job as I no longer believe in what I am teaching but have no alternative than to continue. Sometimes I get so pissed off; I talk when I should not. A couple of years ago I was in an informal discussion with some senior government officials and they said to me that the bigger a religion was the more easily it is to control huge swathes of populations. By coercing the heads of religions to conform to the particular wishes of a government by usually massive financial contributions it was possible to implement policies that were not necessarily those of that country’s’ government and it worked to good effect when dealing with impoverished nations or financially challenged sectors of a country’s population. That degree of control supplemented by food and arms shipments usually achieved the desired result.”

I never forgot that conversation and through later experience I began to see this in a much clearer light. I tried to believe that there was a God who was all-seeing and looked after me, but events in my life brought total disbelief. It is now something that is impossible for me to take seriously as I can find absolutely no proven facts to any of it, excepting that many religions started at the same time that written languages became a common form of communication; that they were based upon the insecurities of how the human race came into being and provided an acceptable answer to a better life after death. Rule books (bibles) were created by man after so-called events and with words that most wished to hear coupled to threats of a living hell in death for non-conformists in order to attain control and inevitable rule by the majority.

Imagine with today’s’ technological advances how impossible it would be to create a new ‘God’ religion that could control if prior to it there had been no religion whatsoever and our history books stated that we had been created by test-tube.

The above is my experience only and I am not on a pedestal trying to convert. I believe in freedom of choice and respect the choice of others as long as it does not affect me. It takes all kinds to make a world and I am lucky to have found my inner peace without a religion. But if it needs one for you to attain yours, that is fine by me and none of my business. We can still be good friends.

My answer to the OP is that I am a 7.

That is so true - the part about religion being used to control people. The amazing part is that by influencing policies the various religions are able to wield control even over people who don't subscribe to any of those religions. For instance, abortion is illegal in most Buddhist, Catholic or Islamic countries. Drinking is prohibited in many Islamic countries.

I am all for freedom of choice, but it should be based on reciprocity. The sad part is that, being an atheist, I don't get that freedom. In many countries, we are not even given an opportunity to acknowledge the fact that we don't follow any religion - the official forms don't give us an option of saying no religion (Malaysia for instance; I am not sure about Thailand yet).

I am not a preacher - all I ask is for the same courtesy be accorded to me.

I can't imagine any of the 300 officials who supposedly witnessed what happens when you get on the wrong side of baby Kim would have leaked the story, so how did the newspaper find out?

Maybe it's not true.

Propaganda. Need a better source.

Sent from my GT-S5310 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

10. And I have many friends who would rate zero on your scale. I don't question them and they let me be.

Sent from my GT-S5310 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Have you ever wondered why everything prescribes love, selflessness and a communal outlook. Why is living for yourself such a bad thing. Why does the society ostracize someone who is independent of it?

One reason is that the human species is not that far removed from swinging in the trees and we are a tribal species, much like Apes. A sense of fulfillment comes from contributing to the whole as part of perpetuation of the species. It is also what makes us territorial and defensive of outside influences. Perpetuation of the species is no longer a concern today with humans infesting every corner of the planet, so our psyche turns to the reason for being. Humans have been asking themselves this question for thousands of years, often confusing spirituality with religion.

There is nothing wrong with living life for yourself. If you are comfortable in your own skin and are resolved to being alone, so be it. You only have to answer to yourself. When you choose a life of solitude, a person tends to turn inward and dwell on aspects of life that you would not have time to ponder if you had a family. One poster advocated to not look inward, forgo introspection and live an outwardly focused life. I disagree as until you know who are, how can you benefit anyone else?

Not sure what you mean about being ostracized for it though, other than many things in life are geared toward couples. Perhaps you can provide an example of how you feel ostracized for not being in a relationship.

Being roughly twice you age and having been in / out of serious relationships most of my life, I can tell you this. The happiest and most fulfilled I have ever been in my life was when I was in a loving, devoted relationship. I have been lucky enough to find the "magic" a few times in life. Unfortunately, I have not been smart enough to figure out how to make it last.

"No man is an island" - John Donne

Without getting into individual specifics, how about the financial benefits offered to people who have a family?

You get a tax rebate in most countries for having a child, while a single individual is taxed more.

Shouldn't it be the opposite? Given that we have already crossed seven billion.

If bringing another human being into the world does not give a point to life,then nothing else will,my friends youngest daughter ,who split up with her boyfriend,who wanted children,told him "don't expect me to give you any Grandchildren"

He replied,"I know that already" He reasoned only cold,selfish people,refuse to have, and bring up children,and find reasons to opt out! I can't find any argument there! I'm sure having a career in the local Shopping Mall,as a Accountant,Stocktaker,Auditor,doesn't quite cut it!

I think most men,would find a woman who loves children,a welcome part of her attraction,and the Accountantcy possibly as cold as the job suggests?

Interesting, I have always argued that having a child is the most selfish thing. Especially coz the child doesn't have a say in it.

I wonder how your friend will feel if his daughter told him that she would rather have not been born - a decision she played no part in. She was born only coz two people decided to have a child. That, in my book, is selfish.

To the OP: you seem as if you are at the point of awakening. Don't let any of the negatvie replys to your post get you down. Your thought pattern is quite profound. It is neither positive nor negative - more thoughfull. For such a young age you really should feel blessed that you are able to question what is! Funny how some think you are resonating at a low frequency when in fact your frequency is elevated.

It is one thing to become awakened. Realizing that your plane of existence is out of whack is not an automatic pass to the next level. Many, including myself can empathize with the OP as we are all in this plane until we find the way to progress. More and more people are awakening to the spiritual aspect of our existence without applying dogma and are seeking fulfillment. Unfortunately there is no handbook and each person's path is different. The fundamental message I have ascertained from studying theology and spirituality for decades is that love, selflessness and a communal outlook on society are the keys. Unfortunately, western society dictates just the opposite.

"Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them" - Henry David Thoreau

Have you ever wondered why everything prescribes love, selflessness and a communal outlook. Why is living for yourself such a bad thing. Why does the society ostracize someone who is independent of it?

Manic depressive comes to mind after skim reading your post.

I don't know what that means. care to elaborate?

You using elaborate has got me thinking!

Is that some sort of sarcasm that I don't understand. I must also state that English is not my first language. May be you should explain yourself.

Caveat.....I am not a licensed "head shrink" ....and this is only my opinion from reading your short post...Please take no offense as I hope I am only offering you constructive criticism.

Well since your past seems to focus only on "YOU"....and you think every year that YOU have done nothing....YOU obviously do not like who you are....if you do then no problem never making anything of your life! Might be time to make some changes. You have stated that you do not want a family (Who many of us do "live for") But family can take many forms...Neighbors, friends and even strangers. You have to let go of the "me, me, me syndrome" and start partaking in life in another form than you currently are. Volunteer, Join some social clubs, become engaged with the community...make the world your "Family" ...Its amazing how rewarding it is to help people without expecting anything in return....

Hope whatever you do you change your path to one where you believe your life has some meaning.

Merry Christmas!

Thanks for for this. But I volunteer all the time. I have spent time with orphans in Sri Lanka, Burma refugees in Thailand, war victims in Vietnam to name a few. At the end of it all, come out with discontentment and nothing else.

Manic depressive comes to mind after skim reading your post.

I don't know what that means. care to elaborate?

I only have one question...if people here said that it could be worse than just the fine, would your friend extend his overstay. If someone they ar e detaining people with that long an overstay would he decide against going back ?

"Yet many travellers, particularly those from Europe and North America, are unfazed by -- or unaware of -- the crisis.

"I didn't know about it. Friends at home saw the news and warned me.

When I arrived there were riots going on. I was quite naive," said Alex Young, 23, as she ordered a cocktail at a bar on Khao San Road, while protesters gathered at the nearby Democracy Monument."

This is so typical, I once ran into a Canadian while waiting in the VOA queue at the airport. When I told her that she probably didn't need a visa, she was like "How is that possible?" As it turned out, she didn't need one.

"Not only are Asian travellers less "risk resistant" than, for example, North Americans,..."

Right! I met few people on my last visit to the US (earlier this year) who said that they have not travelled anywhere since 9/11 as they are too afraid to get on a plane.

In an ideal world, I would like a place somewhere when if the desire takes you, you go, check in, you are given something to help you sleep, while you are sleeping, you get injected or whatever and you dont wake up.

You could enter that place anytime you like, whatever the age or circumstance, your life, your choice.

Quiet, no fuss, no mess, no jumping off balconies, no drawn out medical scenarios, just dignity and your choice to say goodbye on your terms.

I would still like to do it myself though.

In my ideal world, that place you talk of would also have an option of shooting oneself in the head or whatever way one wishes to go. I think that I would get some pleasure out of it and would like to see myself pulling the trigger as I take my last breath.

I think its a good idea to plan for an exit age and do it early in life so that you can at least plan your finances. The only trouble with the society we live in is that you aren't allowed to end your life legally.

I already have a number in mind and am saving to retire in a few years.

And I don't care if I will be healthy that day or will have many more years to live.

And if I get hit by a bus tomorrow, I can't really do anything about it other than hope that the accident kills me rather than leaving me paralyzed.