bangkok19

Compact Discs are a convenient, great sounding 'physical' media for music listening enjoyment.

The age old vinyl versus CD sound quality argument will go on forever. Just keep both. 

Sound qualitywise, CD's are only as good as the 'masters' their recorded from.  In most cases that CD you bought in the 80's will sound better than a recent remaster of the same CD.  Many modern remastered CD's are just louder versions of the original with increased bass and treble to sound better through modern day computer, smartphone and small Bluetooth speakers.

Keep your old vinyl as they are the way the music was meant to sound.  Most of the new vinyl sold in the shops today is actually recorded from the same remastered 'master' as the latest 'remastered' CD.

Many of those CD's you bought when they first were introduced (in the 80's) were 'flat transfers'...  they relied on the bass and treble controls on your hi-fi unit.   These days, the newer CD's add the bass and treble whether you like it or not.

All the streaming services have many of these remastered albums...  of course you can hear them in FLAC, MQA and hi-fi, hi-res Lossless formats but they will still come from those new crappy remasters!

If you're going to throw out your CD's..  or some of them...  keep the silver faced ones with the black print on them that were pressed/manufactured in the 80's.  Another detail to look for is if they were manufactured in West Germany (pre-'91), they were generally good sounding.  Old silver Polydor CD's with the red and black rings around the outside were excellent too.

If CD storage space is a problem...  ditch the plastic jewel cases and put the CD into those clear inexpensive soft vinyl sleeves you can buy.  

11 hours ago, mrfill said:

Brave man having a win7 machine connected to the internet.

Brave or very daft.

I don't consider myself "very daft" and (still) using Windows 7 (connected to the 'net) certainly doesn't make me brave.

Lots of us just steered clear of the Windows 8 'hard sell' and its shortfalls, and are still comfortable with 7...  and possibly will update to the latest version when we replace our computers.

If you steer clear of risky sites, treat unknown emails in your 'inbox' as "suspect" and have Anti-virus and Anti-malware software in your computer, clear your cookies daily, then there shouldn't be a problem. 

Probably worrying to you as you've experienced all these symptoms nearly at the same time.

If you're a middle aged ACTIVE person then knee pain could be attributed to many things...  in my case, I had knee pain on and off for a few years in my left knee.  I was going on brisk walks 5 days a week (did heavy squats in my younger days)...

I was sent to Day Surgery and had the fragments of cartilege  cleaned out  -   100% now.

I experienced a pain in the instep of my foot.  I only got it at night (in bed)..  I never saw a doctor,  it would come and go over a few years.

It was suggested to me to try some NEW BALANCE running/jogging shoes as they're recommended by podiatrists. I did that. The pain decreased somewhat....  then later, never came back however my left foot feels like it only has 90% feeling.  Wierd!  But NO MORE PAIN.  I had actually thought I may have (previously) had gout and went on a MAGNESIUM SUPPLEMENT.  Doctor did my routine blood test and Uric Acid levels normal..  plus (she said)  not enough pain there to be gout.  However, the Magnesium fixes cramps.

As we get older, different parts of the body strain, weaken or wear...  yours probably just all happened in the same month!  

You would first have to have a good relationship with your next door neighbours.

Also...  if you live in a condo, you would need to have a Ground Floor apartment!

8 hours ago, itsari said:

Wine producing  is a similar situation in the reverse here in Thailand . Meaning that the home produced wine has a large advantage over imported wine on price . Resulting  in a poor  quality of  wine from the Thai producers . 

That  'home-made'  Monsoon Syrah is on the Oriental Hotel's Wine list.

6 hours ago, GreasyFingers said:

 

6 hours ago, pacovl46 said:

Well, I’m with Facebook on that one. Greedy news outlets want to be paid, Facebook doesn’t play along and now they try to make out Facebook as the bad guy. Pathetic!

At least the (so-called) greedy news outlets pay their fair share of taxes!!!!!!!!!!!!

They maybe so-called 'lightweights' running the country but at least Josh Frydenburg (the Treasurer) ain't gonna take it lying down.

The Facebook's of this world should be brought into line.  They have so much power, do the wrong thing and claim to be the 'victim'...

much like Communist China..   nobody is game to stand up to them.  Good on Frydenburg for having a go.

They rake in millions of bucks from advertising they use with the news they steal from Australian media corps. and sources yet only pay about 3% tax.

I'm sure other countries are watching with interest!

Condolences to the deceased's family and friends.

The word "selfie" now is most probably in today's modern dictionaries.

Younger females seem to be the main participants in the taking of selfies.

One would have thought that with all the many attempts they make to get that "perfect selfie" they would gain some sort of experience and prowess but I think not...   It's pure vanity, you must get that lip implant and nose job in the right lighting.   

Hualompong Station is/was a hub of activity for the majority of the day...  it attracted the holiday makers, hippies and the homeless.

It wasn't all that long ago when hundreds of train travellers and their well-wishers would all sit on the floor in the main booking/amenities/waiting hall with the daylight streaming in through the huge arched glass windows.  Seats then gradually started to appear.

It used to be slow to get to from downtown...   until the BTS opened, making Hualompong very accessible , and the notion of train travel to a destination more attractive.

I quite often used to take the overnight "express" to Chiang Mai from Hualompong departing straight after the 6pm playing of the Thai National Anthem. When I say "express"..  I mean it stopped at 14 stations enroute to Chiang Mai, but, always a pleasant experience sitting on the lower bunk drinking a bottle of (BYO) Red Wine...  then possibly a second bottle if there was a party in the Dining Car.

All that stopped for me many years ago after a drunk railway employee interfered with a little girl on the train and they banned alcohol.

Is alcohol still banned on the longer train routes?  That is..  BYO alcohol or alcohol sold on the train? 

On 2/4/2021 at 10:59 PM, J Town said:

You can get it in any mucous membrane in your body. I worked with an eye doctor who told me about a patient who had fingered the promised land, rubbed his eye and BINGO! Gonorrhea of the eye. 

Same same herpes...  Doc told me never to dry your face and eye area with the same towel that has touched herpes lesions or cold sores...   very contagious, and if in the eyes...  very very uncomfortable/painful.

On 2/2/2021 at 3:55 PM, BostonRob2 said:

Made in Thailand and Tom, Tom, where you go last night.....by Carabao.

 

Perhaps I am showing my age.

 

 

On 1/28/2021 at 9:17 PM, LomSak27 said:

Duangtawan advertised a Christmas dinner buffet. So they were open then. The Loh Kroh, ChangKlan Starbucks closed?! Same, it was open at xmas. I stopped in twice.

What else? 

Johns Place, officially vacant

Bier Stube is closing after 36 (?) years. That is the Mahidol location. Question, when did it move off moon muang to the Mahidol address?

 

Got to get the camera, putter around town taking snaps, the next couple days. A lot of business who were hanging on, decided to chuck it here at the beginning of 2021. Last week news indicated resumption of tourism will depend on vaccination programs in Thailand let alone the world. That will not happen fast; six months or a year before they get this country up to snuff and a few dribble back in, sorry TAT. No reason to rent a location with no chance of turning a profit for a year.

And besides all that, they are building more boutique hotels ????. They are vacant, but obviously have money for the long haul.

Good question...  when DID the Bier Stube move from Moon Muang?

A bit of trivia, but back in the early/mid 80's we'd spend a good part of our night at the old KAREN HUT bar (it used to be down Chiang Moi Lane #1 just before the rear of the Amora)...  when that closed we'd go to the Chiang Mai Thermae a.k.a the PEAKOCK COFFEE SHOP (it was situated where the Montri Coffee Shop aka Zest aka Burger King aka Coffee Club now is/was).  When the PEACOCK closed at sunrise we'd go to the BIER STUBE for breakfast.  I can remember during one wet season when there was a foot of water covering the whole floor...   the cockroaches were all over the place....  still, was a good place . 

On 2/3/2021 at 2:30 AM, Rinrada said:

Had a "scotch egg" and a pint or 2 in  ..Red Lion about 2 weeks ago..always ok although ..wee bit quiet but sanuk...Only get into CM usually once a month but always go for a chat..Mabe try for next weekend ..now that hours have changed....Sad about the Dun 2 wan..but will be back soon..but one must be positive ..chai..

 

Good to hear the Red Lion is hanging in there. Kevin and Ging are survivors.

I can remember their 1st premises (just nearby) then called the HAUS MUNCHEN. Back in '83 Ging was a waitress and used to serve me breakfast.  In the 90's they shifted to 'wider' premises just up the road. At the same time, Ging opened another restaurant (BAN CHUNG) near the Riverside but it didn't last all that long. In the 2000's they closed the HAUS MUNCHEN and moved to the current location naming it the Red Lion to give it that English flavour whilst still catering for their German returning regulars.

Long may the place last. 

I can remember some Euro band in the 80's doing a cover of the Grass Roots' 1968 song LET'S LIVE FOR TODAY.

It was played in all the bars and even the non-English speaking girls could sing the words.....  us farang sang it as well. as the words meant something as you sat there on your 8th Kloster staring at the carnal spice rack!

I used to love sitting in many bars near closing time when all the girls started singing Lukthung songs in unison..... BORUK SEE DUM is a song that comes to mind.

When I'm in Thailand with friends and we happen to go our separate ways for the day..  we always text each other with a song title or a line from a song that is relevant to the message we want to send.

One late afternoon I was having a few wines at the CLOUD 47 ROOFTOP BAR on Silom Rd.

I think I was running late for my next appointment...  I received a text message saying     "...hey, you, get offa that cloud".

GET OF MY CLOUD by the Stones always reminds me of that Silom strip from the Untied Services Bldg to the Dusit Thani corner.

(I'd always have to call in there (the old Dusit Thani) to use the horng nahm before I jumped on the MRT). 

I always remember the line from THICK AS A BRICK....   "the elastic of G-strings......"    when I'd have a late afternoon palate cleanser at the TINA BAR (off) 22.  

I remember taking a cassette to a bar in Bangkok in the 80's and asking the DJ to play it....

One of the songs was Lulu's  "I'M A TIGER".

I actually convinced all the girls in the bar that Lulu was singing "I'M A THAI GIRL".

Fast forward to recent times...  I did the same in THE CACTUS,  only this time it was on a USB stick.

7 hours ago, Pmbkk said:

I’m sure everyone can find a song in here relating to their times in Thailand from:        BA – NANA – RAMA:

 

A Trick Of The Night

Ain't No Cure

Another Lover

Bad For Me

Blue Skies

Boom

Boy Trouble

Cheers Then

Crazy

Cruel Summer

Dance With A Stranger

Do Not Disturb

Doctor Love

Don't Stop Me Now

Don't Throw It All Away

Dream Baby

Ecstasy

Girl About Town

Give In To Me

Give It All Up For Love

Got A Thing For You

He Was Really Sayin' Somethin'

Heartless

Help!

Hey Young London

Hooked On Love

Hot Line To Heaven

I Can't Help It

I Can't Let You Go

I Could Be Persuaded

I Don't Care

I Found Love

I Heard A Rumour

I Want You Back

I'm Waiting

If

If You Love Me

In A Perfect World

Is She Good To You

Is Your Love Strong Enough

Keep Your Hands To Yourself

King Of The Jungle

Let It Be

Live Now

Love Generation

Love In The First Degree

Love Leave Forget

Love, Truth And Honesty

Maybe The Next Time

More More More

More Than Physical

Movin' On

Mr. Sleaze

Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye

No Feelings

Nothing Lasts Forever

Once In A Lifetime

One In A Million

Only Time Will Tell

Only Your Love

Promised Land

Prove Your Love

Push!

Really Saying Something

Riskin' A Romance

Robert De Niro's Waiting

Rough Justice

Shy Boy

Sleep

Solid Gold, Easy Action

Some Girls

Strike It Rich

Take Me Away

Take Me To Your Heart

The Wild Life

Tripping On Your Love

True Confessions

U R My Baby

Wake Up On Love Me

What A Shambles

What Colour R The Skies Where U Live

What You Gonna Do

Wish You Were Here

You Give Love A Bad Name

You're Never Satisfied

Young At Heart

Your Love It Tastes So Sweet

You forgot IT TAKES A SECOND TO SAY GOODBYE, and EVERY TIME YOU GO AWAY......

not to forget SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO!

16 hours ago, BostonRob2 said:

Made in Thailand and Tom, Tom, where you go last night.....by Carabao.

 

Perhaps I am showing my age.

 

 

We used to comment back in the 80's that the intro to Carabao sounded like a Jethro Tull song (with that flute).

Also back then...  BOOMERANG by Birdt.

LIKE A VIRGIN by Madonna was played everywhere back then...  the girls would all sing the chorus not knowing the true meaning!

And.....   TARZAN BOY by Baltimora...   played in every bar from the Banana in Phuket to the Spotlight in Chiang Mai, the Marine Bar in Pattaya to the Kings Castle I in Patpong.

17 hours ago, Bangyai said:

For me this song always makes me think of Thailand. I was stuck in England for two months sorting out some business when this came out. The lyric " everything you want is just a dream away " really made me miss my wife and home here.

 

 

I remember hearing this Coldplay song when it first came out for the first time.

I was on my third wine at the Happy Hour (Bar@494) and it was playing faintly in the background... and upon hearing that guitar

riff, it sounded like a Thai song with one of those weird looking Isaan guitars playing. 

WHAT MAKES PEOPLE HAPPY?   The locals in Sukhothai are happy that there are NO busloads of Chinese tourists clambering all over the ruins in the Sukhothai National Park trying to take selfies!

On 1/24/2021 at 5:41 PM, Golden Triangle said:

 

I have been fortunate to have travelled from Singapore to Bangkok on that train, I would love to do it again one day, I did post some photos on here just after we got back. A fantastic memory.

I've always wanted to do a trip on that train.

I remember once trying to get on the train at Hualompong to video the interior....   WRONG!!!   A security guard at every door, they politely escorted me off.

I always thought it would be nice sipping a chilled Chardy on that open-air verandah at the back of the last carriage watching the scenery disappear behind the train.....    until I saw all the smokers crowded in that area smoking.  I don't know if it's still allowed.

Re the barber shop in the little MRT tunnel under Asoke  -   A HIDDEN GEM, nice quiet little area that has a Suparich money changer, coffee shops and a nice CLEAN horng nahm...  but don't tell anybody.

Except for the workers that use the tunnel to exit further up Asoke..  most people just walk by the entrance.

As for the better rooftop bars i.e.  360 Bar,  Cloud 47,  Sky Bar etc,  they're atop the ****+  hotels which stick strictly to the "no alcohol" rules at present!   All you can do at the moment is Scan the Skyline with a Snack and a Sprite!

17 hours ago, jaiyen said:

Greta idea !  The problem is paying off the debtors. A 380 pilot friend of mine told me how much it costs for a plane to fly in stay overnight and fly out again. You would be amazed how expensive it is. Thai must owe millions of dollars to airports and all the companies that make, what we take for granted, actually happen smoothly. I was amazed how many companies are involved in the whole process e.g. food, cleaning, fuel, loading and unloading, security, maintenance and inspections, ticketing, and the list goes on, many that you would never guess.  Thai have also planned on stopping dirct flights to Perth. Thats us screwed !  This route makes money !

I stopped flying with THAI (International) (Business Class) from SYD to BKK about 8 years ago...   Emirates tickets were AUD$ 1,200 cheaper PLUS you had the Limmo pick you up and drop you off..  plus the BAR on the plane. 

SADLY... in June 2019, EMIRATES stopped the SYD to BKK route (instead,  seating you on a Qantas plane).

I'm not a big QF fan!

Booked again with THAI to go last year but then came COVID!  I have two 'open' business tickets now and just have to play the waiting game.

If anything good is to come out of all this...  at least TG have gotten rid of the ageing 747's that were past their "use by date."

Actually, for all the years I flew with TG  (30 yrs) I never had a problem with them.

I always enjoyed their Business Class service...   until I flew Emirates!   Their service and planes compared with TG - chalk and cheese!

Who knows..   maybe if TG has LESS FLIGHTS out of Sydney (whenever?) then maybe EMIRATES will resume the SYD - BKK route.

One can only hope.

Me and my (Thai) wife were booked to go to Thailand last June. We're here in Oz and of course cancelled all bookings.  

Her father (in Thailand) passed away in September but we couldn't be there for the funeral.

We, of course want to be back over there ASAP....   things were looking optimistic with news that we'd probably get vaccinated around September/October this year however this new wave that's hit Thailand has us on edge.

Will it drag on and on like many other countries,  will the Chinese vaccine work?

Thailand's knee-jerk reactions to this (and other problems) never ceases to amaze me. Sometimes it's like watching a cartoon.

Decisions made..  change the following day, then the next day!

I'm sure, not serving alcohol in restaurants will stop the spread! ????

Also, if you're relying on your population following the rules to stop the spread....   I've been watching protesters on TV in the U.S. and France...  perfect example.

I'm a "glass half full" person...  I'd hope to be back in Thailand for next Christmas but I guess it depends on your fellow man doing the right thing!