tom yum goong

I've been reading a lot about carbohydrates and glycemic index on this forum and on other health sites. I'm trying to lose some weight and live a healthier lifestyle, and as part of that I thought I would try to reduce the glycemic index of my meals.

Thai white jasmine rice apparently has a very high GI, so when I make my own meals I have switched to brown rice. I've also read that pasta and rice vermicelli (kanom jeen) have low GI and have started making some pasta dishes with brown durum wheat pasta (I'm not a big fan of kanom jeen unless eaten with somtam )

However, I'm a rubbish cook and also too lazy to cook all the time, so i was wondering if eating out, which of the noodles we have here in Thailand have the lowest GI? I can't find any information about the GI of Thai noodles (apart from rice vermicelli) on the web.

Any ideas?

Seems a bit suspect to me , Finland is in the top 10 for suicide rates ( 24 per 10000)

top ten suicidal countries

Yet is also number 6 on the hapiness list.

Does Finland know something we don't ?

Yes, and Denmark nr. 1.

But Denmark has the highest suicide rate in the world too, as far as I remember.

i dont think there's any mystery here.

All the unhappy people top themselves leaving only happy people

i think u can also get it in Tesco Lotus, in the automobile section.

What about the Deevana?

http://www.phuket.com/deevana/

The spa wing rooms are really nice and they've got a great pool. Its just off Rat-u-thit road (the 2nd road) and not from central Patong.

the little Mermaid in Karon does a mean burger.

am i correct in thinking Thailand has its own reserves of natural gas in the gulf, which could mean that prices would not rise that much even if it wasn't subsidised?

I guess it depends on how much gas they have.

I would also recommend the Ska Bar at the end of Kata beach for an evening drink. Much more relaxed than Patong.

Second hand goods depreciate so rapidly in Thailand that there is little or no market for them at all, principally because Thais, on the whole, won't buy second-hand goods at any price. Why do you think used cars, for example, sell so poorly here? And there's very little market, compared to the US or the UK, for real estate that is not brand new (other than in the very lowest prices ranges).

Do used cars really sell so poorly here? They must depreciate really fast and be really cheap to buy then, right?

Maybe i haven't been in Thailand long enough

the hotel itself is very nice. Its a bit far from popular places on the island which could be a good or bad thing, although Phuket Town is only about 20 mins drive.

my only real complaint is that the beach, although quite pretty and peaceful, is not good for swimming at low tide. There is lots of dead coral which is quite sharp. the pool is nice though.

both times i rented an Altis 1.6 for 1,300 per day. I think there might have been another couple of hundred baht on top of the total, can't remember what for (possibly insurance?) but it still worked out quite reasonable.

I agree the signposting here in Phuket is almost nonexistent.

But getting around Phuket is not too bad as there aren't that many different roads connecting parts of the island. When i first moved here i found that as long as i was headed in the right compass direction i would get there. The west coast is all connected by one road, there's a motorway/road running down the spine of the island, plus a few roads running widthways (not enough but the hills make it difficult - just look at the road going over Patong hill).

Phuket town however, is a nightmare for tourists and newbies because of the one way system and lots of narrow streets. Took me about a year to figure it out.

I have used Highway car rent a couple of times and they were fine, although i was only renting an Altis. They've been there for absolutely ages so i'm sure they are reputable.

I used an insurance broker here in Phuket to purchase my health insurance. They also do home insurance and I'm pretty sure they could advise you on the best deals.

http://www.insurance-in-thailand.com/

The office in Phuket is run by Eric, a swede born in Thailand. He speaks perfect Thai (as well as English) and is very proffessional and knowledgable.

umm JD, some farang guy in Phuket got arrested for that a couple of years ago.

last time i checked there were still a few petshops at the old "tai rot" market, the one next to the bor kor sor (bus terminal).

if not try the new "tai rot"/weekend market opposite Naka temple, just off Chaofa West.

Kathu waterfall is ok, but i think Bang Pae is much nicer. Should be quite a lot of water after all the rain we have been having.

http://www.phuket.net/things-to-do/parks-waterfalls.htm

http://phuket.as/waterfall.php

Anyone knows why is the darn Honda Thailand website down??!!

Its working for me:

http://www.honda.co.th/

Just click on the picture of the king.

I think it might not work so well in other browsers so best to use Internet Explorer.

lol, thats the beauty of football.

seriously though, i don't think there's ever been much rivalry between the English and French in terms of football. Its not like the Argies.

Hi, as a fellow luk krung, I thought i'd share my experience of working with Thais.

As a luk krung you are not neccessarily in the same position as another farangs working/managing in Thailand. You will have many advantages over farangs, but with those advantages come expectations. You have to be aware of how you, as a luk krung, are perceived by your staff and the other Thais in your company.

The nature of your relationships with your staff will depend greatly on whether they view you as a Thai or farang (this perception doesnt have to be set in stone and may change over time, but i think how you set your stall out in the beginning should be how you intend to carry on. Perceptions are not always easy to change).

When i started working i felt like i had 2 options:

1. Become assimilated as a Thai (as much as possible) - this means observing all the Thai social norms, for example, always being respectful to elders irrespective of their position in the company, even if they are only slightly older than you - plus all the stuff that steveromagnino mentioned: greng jai, nam jai etc. These things will be expected of you and failure to observe protocol may jeopardise your relationship with the other staff.

2. Remaining a foreigner - you can choose to act as any other farang would, obviously respecting Thai culture and speaking Thai (if you can), but at the same time not allowing it to have too great an impact on how you relate to your staff.

Option 2 appears to be less risky and easier to pull off, after all there are many farang managers working successfully in Thailand. However, I see this as giving up all of the advantages you have as a luk krung. Stay as a farang and you will always remain an outsider, observing but never fully understanding.

Take option 1 and a whole other world opens up to you. Yes you are restricted by Thai culture, but you are now a cameleon and you can see everybody's cards.

Oh yeah, dont forget to take it slow and remember that you need to micromanage your staff.

Good luck.

sorry for not being clear, Central Festival is a large shopping centre on the bypass road, next door to Big C.

actually a divorce certificate is even cheaper, cant remember exactly but its something like 20 baht at the amphur.

I think you will be hard pressed to find locally produced handicrafts here. Phuket has never been a handicraft centre. Before tourism it was mostly tin mining and rubber plantations. I think these days Phuket produces things like rubber, coconuts, pineapples, seafood and pearls. Handicrafts are imported from Chiang Mai etc.

Of course there are galleries in Phuket Town and other centres that sell art (paintings and sculptures), some of it produced by local artists, but i'm not sure you could class them as handicraft.

There's a booklet callet Art & Culture South that may have some useful info.

Good luck.

For reference books I would say B2S on the 3rd floor of Central, the Books on Phuket Road (near the TAT office) or Seng Ho near O'Malley's in Phuket Town.

Personally I would try B2S first.

For someone paid 5 million pounds a year, Sven really shouldn't be so spineless as to be swayed by the gutter press.

Oh well, hopefully Stevie Mac will have some balls.

GH, I know this is directed at parents so i hope you don't mind me relating my experience growing up as a mixed child in Thailand.

My father is English, my mother Thai-Chinese. I would speak Thai with my mum and the maids, and English with my father. Before I was old enough for school, my Thai was more fluent compared to my English as I spent more time with the maids since both my parents worked. I remember thinking to myself mainly in Thai.

Once i started going to school (I went to Bangkok Pattana, which is an international school) my English gradually improved. I think by the time i was 8 or 9 i was fairly fluent in both languages.

However, because i never studied Thai at school, English became my main language (I thought in English) and after being at boarding school in the UK, my ability to speak Thai gradually diminished.

Since moving back to Thailand 2 years ago, my Thai has improved in leaps and bounds, but English is still my preferred language, although i now sometimes count in Thai in my head. Maybe if i am here long enough I might start thinking in Thai.