Doza

Thailand is the king of mob beatings. You get in a fight with a Thai, and there's no way other Thais will let the two of you beat it out - the mob comes in and its 20 on 1.

Take off those saffron tinted glasses and read some news stories. They are dogs who need to hunt in packs, f**king cowards.

I thought they had HEAPS of spirit. But they do lack size...

And yes they are now out.

Went to the game last night and it was a BEAUTY!!!! Both teams played really positive attacking football. There were more chances and shots on goal in the first 20 mins than the last two games combined Aus have been involved in.

Thailand looked VERY good and only just missed a few chances on goal. But Australia also defended exceptionally well at times.

In the end it was a magic cross and header which kicked it off, then some Viduka and Kewell individual brilliance which kept the scoreboard kicking over.

The atmosphere in the stadium was awesome. A packed crowd, almost completely full, all chanting strongly. Great night.

But the entry and exit plans for the organisers were woeful. Queuing forever to get in meant most of the crowd wasn't sitting down till 20 mins in.

Cmmmmoooooooooooonnn the Socceroos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Yep it certainly should be a cracker! I am hoping mostly for an open and entertaining close game.

It will be interesting to see how the AB midfield holds up and the Aussie scrum as well. They could be key match ups. The other one is the lineout where the ABs have been average and the Wallabies might be able to steal a few.

Anyway, its crucial build up for both squads and I cant wait for it!!!

You can pay at the stadium.

I'm surprised someone from the Thailand Tigers hasn't put this up. The Asian Championships Australian Rules Football tournament is being held in BKK this year at Bangkok Patana School grounds - THIS SATURDAY.

10 teams from around the region will contest the championship and there will be some serious and entertaining Aussie Rules played throughout the day. It will be fair dinkum footy, live. Bands on, BBQ on, and entertainment for all the family. Starts from 8am.

More here >

What else are you gonna do?

About recycling - almost anything able to be recycled is seperated and collected adn on-sold regardless of where you dump it - especially plastic bottles. They are collected by the local informal garbage collectors and sold to middle men who onsell back to bottle making companies who do their own recycling and to the odd recycling factory. Some recyclables are even exported.

Seperating easy recyclables isn't the problem, its seperating toxic waste such as dry cell batteries and flourescent light tubes and making sure they don't end up in land fills. The BMA will come and collect this stuff it you contact them.

I hope you don't mind if I ask --- what do young people who are not teachers do in BKK? Looking around at what people do, I mostly found mostly young people who are teaching for a few years, older expats with a lot of professional experience there on expat packages, and retired people.

Heaps of different things. In my circle with ages from 23 - 35 we have:

Girls: Marketing x 3, PR, Food Scientist, UN consultant, and others (all with major multi-nationals)

Guys: NGO consultant, Embassy worker, Investment Banker, Marketing, Teacher, Engineer, and others.

You will be surprised how many young professionals are here, male and female. Don't narrow yourself to teachers and avoid dodgy types and losers.

If you can teach, get in touch with the international education fairs which take place this summer around the world and try to get hired from abroad at an international school here. Good pay, perks and conditions.

Yes mate, just relax over there! I am not saying the Aussies are the best etc etc. Just let me get excited for a moment because we are playing decent footy! I am happy to concede the AB are still the best team in the world right now and will be VERY hard to beat at home so don't stress!

By the way, we also missed some kicks so it certainly could have been different - a BIGGER scoreline!

I am just happy we have a reasonable expectation to play well adn even possibly win in NZ, something I never would have dreamed a month ago. Dont' get so defensive!

Tap water in many cases may be better than bottled water and its interesting only one person mentioned the environmental price we are paying for over-consumption of bottled water.

Bottled water manufacturers’ marketing campaigns capitalize on isolated instances of contaminated public drinking water supplies by encouraging the perception that their products are purer and safer than tap water. But the reality is that tap water is actually held to more stringent quality standards than bottled water, and some brands of bottled water are just tap water in disguise. What’s more, our increasing consumption of bottled water—more than 22 gallons per U.S. citizen in 2004 according to the Earth Policy Institute—fuels an unsustainable industry that takes a heavy toll on the environment.

Full Article

I have often drunk the tap water and found the taste ok compared to Aus for example and never been sick.

There are plenty of young single farang guys and girls in professional jobs with active social lives in Bangkok. Join a sports club (no not a gym) and some Young Professionals chambers for networking and social events. Bangkook YOung Professionals, American Young Professionals, European Young Professinals are all good places to meet like minded people. Around the bar at Cheap Charlies in soi 11 on a Thurs or Fri night is always good too.

I met my girlfriend here who was a young single professional expat and I know of at least 5 other similar hookups just in my circle of friends. So there are plenty of normal guys looking for attractive expat women. Teachers do get a slightly hard time but thats because many onyl hang aorund each other or school colleagues and don't get out enough or live out of town.

Yeah the Dunning piece was tongue in cheek! But the scrum wasn't totally smashed, some positives there.

I certainly wan't writing the ABs off, but the 'game could have gone either way' bit is for losers because it didn't. At the end of the day the ABs missed some crucial tackles and it paid - Mauger, McAlister, Jack, McCaw, and someone else all missed one on ones which led to tries.

I'm just gald that we are hitting our straps as a month ago I would have said we were no chance to win a game in the Tri Nations and the WC would be an embarrasment. Tide is turning...

AUSSIE LEGENDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But when you've got World Best Prop Matt Dunning in your team, what can't you do?

We were so written off the last year or two and now the team that knows how to peak at the right time is starting its rise. Yeah baby, look out!!!!!

In my opinion 5,500 for rent is not realistic for the way I would want to live. But your friend, and you may be happy with that so the question is completely moot...

Food, internet and transportation are in the ballpark though (depending on how you like to eat - but that is one thing that can be done cheaply most days with a splurge on weekends)

All depends on how you want to live and where - you are better off looking through online real estate guides to see how much your rent is going to cost than ask here...

I am emotional after that game!

I am MOSTLY p*ssed off that NSW had no imagination and variation in attack! Ok, QLD's defense played some part in that but NSW just didn't push them enough. It would go two passes widethen nothing, or predictable inside ball, or no runners, or they were too deep so defense slides etc etc.

Basically NSW were useless in attack but quite good in defence. QLD were very good in attack (especially around the ruck - big yards) and very good in defense.

Close game, fitting enough, good hits, fast, but frustrating from an attacking point of view!

No idea about Bang Phli but in town all the English and Irish bars will show the Tri Nations as well as:

Soi 33 - Office, Tenderloins, Wall St

Soi 23 - Down Under

Soi 8 - Soi 8 Pub

All above are in Sukhumvit. Silom you got the usual pubs plus the Roadhouse Barbeque.

PS Go Wallabies!

Tenderloins is opposite Wall St and is a very nice bar/restaurant. No girls, good food and service and children friendly. They do a great BBQ buffet on Sundays for 400B all you can eat.

The DownUnder is just as good. Nice pub food, good owners, heaps of monitors and no working chicks, in soi 23.

Soi 8 also has no birds, and a nice enough pub as well, although bit more of a boozer than the others.

Forget about the Office.

The odd news clipping is fine Donny! In Chiang Mai you should see the guys at the UN Irish bar. Lots of Saffas and Zimbos drink there and live in Chiang Mai (including a certain current Springbok's uncle). They love their rugby and I'm sure they have got SS sorted out.

If you are in Thailand and you want to know what the viewing schedule is, you can download the programme from Wall St Bar's website: http://www.wallstreet33.com/livecoverage.pdf.

If you know what they are showing live, you know you can catch the same at the Office, Tenderloins, DownUnder, Soi 8 Pub and others that have SuperSport from SA.

Let's get this back to being a discussion thread - not a news clippings thread. I can read the news anywhere, I come here to read what individuals think and to discuss rugb stuff.

Ad Makers in soi Langsuan.

Actually this stuff happens more often than we might think. I have a friend in the consular section at one of the embassies and he said this stuff is not uncommon, even in KSR. It seems some hotels aren't too fussed about some BG dragging a drugged farang up to his room and coming down soon after with bags of goodies.

He mentioned one case where they had video footage of it but had no chance of finding the bird.

I am always amazed it never happens to me, or friends who regularly stumbled home completely hammered and can't even remember getting home but haven't (as yet) been muggd, robbed, drugged (wouldnt need to). Very lucky I guess.

Should take more care!

And Prakanong is located between the station and the soi but looks like a bomb shelter, Beirut circa 1987.

Thanks guys, I will let Fat Sam know. Good idea on the keyboard.

My 2 cents:

South Africa - could be a real force. They have great forwards. They may just self implode as usual thbough with selection / racial / admin issues.

But I think they are brainless to ommit Luke Watson and reckon he is pretty ###### handy and gets around the park like nothing else.

Player Exodus - you cant blame experienced players like Haymen, Gear, Williams and co for heading OS for some bucks after giving years to the All Blacks and S14. It is disappointing when guys like McAlsitair want to go before really cementing themselves as a true ALL Black. You would think that would be their #1 aim. Same with Aussie players but haven't really seen it yet.

I think the AB's will always have a ready pool of talent but there is definately a player drain coming for Australia and I welcome the move to include foreign players in S14 next year. We are definately battling and the best junior rugby players coming up are all rugby league players. League develops young talent well (somehow) in Aus and has a steady stream of stars comig thorugh every year but union struggles (of late) to do that.

Cannot wait for Tri-Nations and WC!!!

My old friend 'Fat Sam' wants to learn the piano. He has some music background from years ago and will pick up reading music quickly again but wants to turn his attention to the piano.

Where can Fat Sam get some lessons?

Oh, he doesn't have a piano either so would have to go to teachers house or studio or whatever.

Can you help him? I will pass any info on to him....

Yes, its true that the garbage is separated into valuable recyclables - paper/cardboard, plastic, glass, metals etc. by the collectors so don't stress about that.

What you really should be concerned about is non recyclables and possible toxic materials that the collectors often dont separate and can end up in landfills. These include lightbulbs, batteries, aerosols, etc. If you contact the BMA, they will actually come and collect toxic waste or let you know where you can drop it off.