carter1882

Ha. I was reading another thread where everyone was calling him Bob (Smith?). Quite funny especially as he was giving it the big one about PR. Are there as many wallies as there used to be? Rooster

I have read all of the comments from posters and I thank you. Especially the ones that displayed such positivity and recalled my column writing days fondly. Several people asked questions and I'll try to answer. There were always detracrors, one has to expect that. The poster who goes by the name newbie, who obviously isn't, reminds me of someone who always posted under another name and absolutely hated everything about me. Sounded a bit like my first wife....funny how he always seemed to read it tho. The column was only a small part of my work at AN. Some of you might remember Ying who won POTY. There was much debate among us all at AN, whether this was a woman or a man or perhaps both. When Ying won the title I contacted "them" and offered to fly down to Ranong to do an interview as I had done the previous year with Khon Kaen's Colin Dow (who became a personal friend of mine after the feature that was one of the most viewed items on the site). Anyway, Ying did not take me up on this offer. Instead Ying stalked me and it got so serious that I considered going to the Pahonyothin police. They were banned from AN. Someone mentioned negatively that my time at Harrow International was a "badge of honor" for me. Not just me, many of the founding teachers and administrators of that now well established school who were far better educators with much greater experience than me, also count their time at Harrow as the highlight of their working lives. I count my time at TV/AN as mine! Sadly the school is not on my Christmas present list any more after they offered me a chance to go back and teach Scrabble in activities then made a U-turn saying they could not get a work permit for a Thai resident! Many people owed me a lot at Harrow and i found this very disloyal. I refuse to attend any events there and were I still writing as a journalist I would investigate their business model that would shock some hi-so parents, I can tell you. I would like to adress claims made about me being a journalist. I actually qualified under the National Council for the Training of Journalists aged 19 in Croydon, Greater London, in 1981. I quit my job there in 1982 to go one way to Afghanistan and found my way to Thailand in May of that year as the Falklands conflict raged. I didnt work as a journo again until 2016 when i joined ThaiVisa. Teaching paid better. Some people, including at least one poster here didn't like my writing as they felt it was, or became, too much about me. I'm sorry about that. But it was a subject i knew pretty well and even so it took me 5-6 hours each week to write it! I may appear to have a huge ego, but I've learnt to be a bit more humble - getting thrashed by teenagers at my favorite word game sees to that. People also hated me talking about Scrabble, sorry but it was my whole life for many years. My son called forcing him to play "child abuse".... I used TV/AN to expose cheating in the game and this crusade took a severe toll on some of my relationships in the game. I exposed a UK national champion who lost his job at The Times and several top players strangely questioned my motives. I told them I hate cheats. The Times lifted my entire story (half of page 5) but never paid me. Later I reported on a Thai cheat. Both players have never returned to the game. I continue to write extensively about the game and new Times' correspondent is often in touch because the GOAT of the game, a.reclusive figure from NZ, is a good friend of mine. He's veaten me 44 times out of 56. I always tried to be reasonable in my reporting though some moderators wanted me sacked, or at least clipped for what they perceived as sensationalist stories and headlines that I wrote. Around 2021 I had the honor, again, of being banned from posting indefinitely after mentioning something controversial in relation to a major Thai figure - I had to take being an employee but being banned, on the chin. But I eventually returned under another name and was forgiven and a couple of years later found it hilarious that I was actually made a moderator! I never banned anyone though I wanted those who harassed others reprimanded. There's no place for that whatever you may think of me. I'm indeed 63 now and will be 64 in July. Meeting Geronimo has been a joy, he is easily the most interesting non-Thai i have ever met here and we share our stories over the green baize every week. Isn't it great when at a later stage in life someone comes out of tje blue when tou least expect it. He is writing a book and has indeed featured in several YouTube videos. One was by Jim Byrne who also interviewed me last year. Now that is nearly ALL about me so it won't be many folks cup of naam cha, I'll clue ya. I'm still wondering what to do next. I was semi-offered a job at Pattaya News but was reticent to do Thai news translating again. I couldn't even tell you who the prime minister is or the chief of police. Years ago I knew every minister and even provincial cops by name. I was in touch with Big Joke regularly though an interview never materialized. Thailand drifts by, I've got young kids to think about as well as my dear and long suffering second wife. But here is where i shall eventually go up in smoke. I haven't even left the country since 2018 and am looking forway to my grown up nippers visiting me and their mum this month. My daughter is bringing her new boyfriend. I hope he doesnt support a other team in North London. Life goes on in my adoptive homeland and the many Tnais and few foreigners who know me help to make retirement fun and fulfilling. If you've got this far, thanks very much for reading and remember, stay positive and enjoy Thailand and your relationships to the full. Sincerely, Rooster.

Elvis and lives are anagrams, lest we forget..... Rooster

I don't use Scrabble Go but i know there are some differences in the lexicon. KEI is not allowed in face to face Collins tournament play, KAI is. Rooster

Cack handed with a new phone! They did however just add 2,000 new words that we've had to learn. It's getting harder and harder to keep up with the twenty somethings who play and whose memories are better than mine. My game practice these days revolves around backgammon though I'm still just an upper intermediate player. Rooster

Yes I did. It was not my forte at all and I hated it. I was pressured into it somewhat in a management effort to revive falling views and revenues. Don't miss that at all though I do miss writing the column sometimes. I don't follow the Thai news much these days preferring the politics of the US and the UK. Rooster

Yes, quite sure. Ranked about 15th.

I'm kept busy with my family but i have developed a great interest in competitive backgammon and wine making. I also love cooking and still play in many professional Scrabble events throughout Thailand. When the kids have flown the roost I plan to leave Bangkok and go and live in Loei where I have a house and land. The city has been my home since 1985 but no longer is the be all and end all.of my life. My dotage is coming.... Rooster

I always was a good amateur snooker and.pool player so its been great to rekindle that. I am still one of the leading Scrabble players in Thailand and I managed to win a major event last year becoming the oldest player to do so here aged 62 +. The pool incident is never far from my mind but we're over it. However, every 4th November we commemorate the day with a slap up feast. It's a day we call Life Day, celebrating the fact that my wives and kids are all still very much alive and kicking. My daughter is now 12 and preparing for secondary school.

I was being paid several months behind and all the staff had taken large salary cuts. A new manager came in and a spat I had over the use of AI in translating the news (my main job, not the column) was the final straw. There were some golden years with Jonathan as my line manager but when he left it went downhill for me. I translated ten stories a day six days a week 48 weeks a year writing 7 million words. The best job I ever had though not very well paid. Rooster

I care passionately about the weather; hasn't it been loveky and cool this year.

Cheers, Rooster.

I wonder if you remember me. I was Thai Visa/ASEAN NOW's weekend columnist for seven years from 2016-2023. Rooster. I quit abruptly in April 2023 and have not logged on or followed the site or Thai news hardly at all in the last two years. It used to be my whole life! By chance I saw a story about the "Lady of the Hills" that i worked on in 2019 and and thought I'd log in again and, make my first ever post! (It was always done by editors in the past). I miss the Rooster days (and April Fool's pranks) and members of a certain vintage may be interested to know that I am now good friends with a legendary poster called Geronimo with whom I play snooker every week. I'm still going strong, the chicks are now 8 and 12 and my older kids are visiting Ratchayothin next week. I've hardly worked at all for the last two years and was wondering what to do next! Cheers, Rooster.