LaReina

They are also located in Central Department stores. So my guess is if the store is open then they are too.

I have seen quite a few advertisements for Mystery shoppers here in Thailand.

Do any of you ladies know anyone who actually has done this and can vouch for it? Back home I was aware of this sort of thing but it was usually conducted by corporate on their stores.

Actually I am in the mood to rant.

Why is it that once a person can speak english everyone tells them to teach english? How annoying is that? Why do people assume that being a native speaker makes you qualified to teach, and by the same token, do they assume that they (the advocates of this foolishness) can effectively teach their own language to a person? as a second language?

Why is it that expat males with no educational background who have lived in thailand for more than 10 years are like peacocks?

Have you ever noticed that people who legitimately have a lot to boast and brag about tend to be the most reserved.

I have noticed since living here in thailand.. that people do not believe you when you say that you can't understand Thai. They just keep talking and treat you like you can. I THINK it is nice, that they still try and talk to you, but then at the same time.. it is a waste of their energy. No?

You will not catch a French or German national carrying on a full fledged conversation with you after you have told them that you can't understand them. Plus I am pretty sure I will not carry on a conversation in English. I'd feel loney!

Thats my rant for the day. I'm home alone, bored and looking for a job.

good story...

Really! You agree with me on all the rest! Too cool!!!!

Yeah... means.. the Queen.. if I can't be a little princess in real life I might as well be a queen on the net! (and I do not mean real royalty).

But, I guess you are right.. in a way.. that lust factor sure can blind a person.

BUT.. is love really seeing all the negative and loving anyway? I mean, beng able to see and count a persons faults is not good I would think. Honestly speaking, if I were to start noticing a persons negative traits, I don't think I would like them that much (heck I wouldnt like me),

Take for instance a mother. For her, her babies are beautiful and their poop smells like roses. For the rest of us, is smells like what it is. POOP!

We don't love the kid, but she does.

The kids acts up.. "Aww, isn't he so cute, I love it when he does that!".

For the rest of us... "get a rope!". She loves her child and sees nothing but beauty.. and the rest of us, see the child for what it is..

Wow.. If that is not love, then tell me what it is..

There is nothing that can hurt more, than a loving a person, who is on a path of self destruct.

Your mind tells you to leave, and your heart asks you what kind of a person you are to think of leaving. What kind of a person abandons a friend let alone a lover in their hour of need?

But.. you are dealing with more than you can handle.. and in a foreign country. Elsewhere you could help.. but from where you are.. you have no choice. This chapter of your life must be closed, and you need to leave it while you can and with only the happier times and memories before her self destruction, destroys you too.

I think you are fortunate to have a friend in Sheryl, and I think you should listen to the advice who tell you to leave Cambodia.

Meth is a strong drug, and I do not care what people say, users may stop for a while, but they always go back to it. Plus users become delusional and can become violent. I have experienced this first hand.. only in may case, for fear of my safety, I had someone else snitch out the supplier which stopped the loved one.. temporarily…. ..

Good luck and take care... and you are not old at all..

a friend sent me this.. and the saying..

A fool and his money soon part.

a hit song in Nigeria was written based on the 419 scam.

http://www.tlcafrica.com/I_go_chop_your_dollar1.mov

I Go Chop Your Dollar

I don suffer no be small

Upon say I get sense

Poverty no good at all, no

Na im make I join this business

419 no be thief, its just a game

Everybody dey play am

if anybody fall mugu, ha! my brother I go chop am

Chorus

National Airport na me get am

National Stadium na me build am

President na my sister brother

You be the mugu, I be the master

Oyinbo I go chop your dollar, I go take your money dissapear

419 is just a game, you are the loser I am the winner

The refinery na me get am,

The contract, na you I go give am

But you go pay me small money make I bring am

you be the mugu, I be the master… na me be the master ooo!!!!

When Oyinbo play wayo, them go say na new style

When country man do im own, them go de shout bring am, kill am, die!

Oyinbo people greedy, I say them greedy

I don see them tire thats why when them fall enter my trap o!

I dey show them fire

There was a news documentary that talked about the scams and some of the people who have fallen from them.

Form a medical Dr. to a US congress man.. amazing.. what greed will do to a person.

The one I like the best is the black money. Where they show you a suitcase of black cards which they need special ink to wash the cards which are really 100 dollar bills. Only they CAN'T afford to buy the chemcials, so they will sell you the entire suitcase of black money.

A five yr old, would tell you to get a loan and wash the money yourself. A grown up, will pay for the suitcase, and moan about being conned.

Sorry Boca, I agree totally with LaReina on this. Certainly, however, your salary increase shd be back-dated from whenever it was approved and it seems a bit dodgy if that's not happening.

You and LaReina don't know what is in the terms and conditions of my contract so you can not say to me that because I am salaried I am not entitled to OT or travel time.

True..our CEO had a 35 million dollar golden parachute built into his contract, which stated that in the event of his death the monies would go to his kids.

So now all you need to do, is point out the section in YOUR contract that states they need to pay for your passport, and OT when you travel to your superiors.

Saw the handbook clause you wrote, but I am sure there are hourly people in your company, and being an AMERICAN company, I am pretty sure there is another clause for salaried people.

The US is the land of law suits, I am pretty sure they have all their basis covered as they refuse you your "basic rights" as an employee.

Three years with the company, I am sure you are qualified, and I am sure that you are a major asset to your company but there are no more "family" oriented companies in the US anymore. It is all about profits, outsourcing and making share holders happy. Do not think for one second there are no americans working for your company that would not relish the oppurtunity to fill your shoes and live abroad on an "EXPAT" package.

As for the guy in Laos urging you to be a man, and show your company "where the hammer hangs". What company in the dusty village of Vientienne are you working for? I am not sure if you are being sarcastic? Or actively trying to get him laid off..

love your avatar...

I don't know about some of your myths.. I thought some where proven eg the cell phones and the increase in brain cancer.

Plus I thought the risk of cancer in the US would be increasing based on all the genetically altered/engineered food, and hormones in animals to make them grow faster.. and the effect all these un-natural things would have on the human body over time.

Speak less of all the chemicals that are found in vegetables being irrigated with contaminated water, which people never seem to make a stink about.

This was not funny... but because the girl in question was so rude.. I think I'll say it.

Was in amsterdam, and this girl walks by wearing white pants, and as she passsed, my girlfriends and I noticed this big ole RED patch.

So, of course we felt bad and embaressed for her, and one of us ran up to her to tell her and she was such a biatch, the mere thought of being stopped by a complete stranger.. but she was notified anyway..

Had a co-worker tell me how color co-ordinated he was. He said.. "even my socks match" and pulled up his pant legs to reveal a Blue and a Black sock on each foot.

Then, had a girl friend show up for classes wearing two different shoes. What got me, was, one shoe had a heel and the other didn't.

As for me, I was in thai class writting on the board when one of my classmates told me I had really nice undies on. I know I scowled, and I might have sent them to hel_l under my breath, and I said.. "really what colour are they?". The told me, and sure enough, my jeans had ripped an it was not a small rip. I had no money, and no scarf, and I rode the BTS all the way to my neck of the woods with my hands behind my butt.

Kat.

Actually I am a little ashamed that I do not have a clue about the things you mentioned. Did not know it existed.

So much to say…

We are family…

I’ve got all my sisters with me!!!

Sir Burr.. what ever did you do.. to illicit such negative responses? Granted I do not know your views on other topics.. but, you sure are catching a lot of flack here.

However, I must admit, I do agree with your views on love, and marriage. It all boils down to how we all define love and relationships.

For some, true heart breaking, “will die without you” love occurs instantly, and for others, you may love a person, but the true, deep down , I can look past the skid marks, and you do not look a day over the moment I met you.. comes a little later..

The media.. plays all too big a role on how people view themselves and what they think is ideal. It is entertainment and sometimes we need it to get away from the harsh world we live in, but then we also need to know when to step back into reality.

Perfection comes with true love. When you are in love with a person, that person becomes perfect in your eyes.

Canadian Girl.. my sistah’ did you see the words “bitter” because that is what you think? It is like, no matter how many times you read what he wrote, your mind threw in that word. Interesting.

I'm sorry I am American and worked for two different companies with manufacturing sites in Europe, the Americas and Asia.

As a salaried person OT was never a consideration...and this was when the economy was booming. There was absolutely no pity from any higher ups if you had to travel on a Sunday.

However, if you feel you have a case, then look in your company handbook/ Policy book/ Rules of the company or whatever they may have choosen to call it, which they should have issued you when you were hired, and see what they say about OT pay.

If no one has a copy of it here in thailand, then call HR in Corporate, and ask for either an online copy (if they have one) or for one to be sent to you.

In an era of mergers, aquisitions and layoffs.... your payraise is a valid gripe and the rest can label you as a complainer..

Sorry if I sound too "Corporate".

Now now Kat, we only hear of the bad cases because succes stories are not news worthy.

What woman/ mother is not an indentured servant?

I myself am no fan of arranged marriages, but I know of three (here in thailand) where the men just adore their wives.

Two are a young couple and one is an old old old couple.

I know of ONE marriage where the one is not happy, but only because her husband (like quite a few men) is a prick. Enough for her to complain about him, but not enough for her to want to leave.

All Indian.

Marriage is the luck of the draw. Either your spouse was raised by a mother, or dropped as a baby and brain parts just never developed... properly.

And if you are not beaten to death in India, then you are killed by a hit man that your spouse hired after he upped your life insurance in the US... or.. after you told him you were leaving him for good.

If you are salaried (which i assume you are) then you do not get OT.

If you do not want to travel on the weekend, then leave first flight out on Monday.

Why should the company pay for your passport? It is YOUR passport, not theirs.. get new pages added in at your embassy. The US offers this as a free service if your passport has not yet expired, and if your country does not, then whoose fault is that?

So they paid for new passports last year, and this year they do not.

... and is your pay not an expat pay which is more than if you were in the US, working the same job?

All in all are you griping because of the cut backs while you still have a job? OR would you rather they laid you off to save costs?

At the end of the day, if you do not like your job, you can always look for one with more fringe benefits.

I need to correct my pension and 401K statements.

"Accrued or vested retirement benefits earned during the marriage are community property. Therefore, they are subject to division in a dissolution action, and each spouse is entitled to half. The retirement benefits which are subject to this community property application include military pensions, veterans educational benefits, ERISA funds, IRAs, Keoghs, Employee Stock Option Plans (ESOPS), 401K plans, etc.

Certain retirement benefits are not considered community property. They include railroad retirement benefits, social security payments, compensation for military injuries, and worker's compensation disability awards."

However, the amount given can vary based on if the state is not a community property state. In which case length of marriage may be taken into consideration. It is not a flat out 10 yr deal like Social Security.

Are you saying that the US Embassy would deny a visa to the wife of a US Citizen seeking to enter the US in order to obtain her rights in a divorce before a US Court, but things would be different if she had a child?

In reality the mother has no legal rights in the US. Just does not. Even if her child was living in the US as a minor, she could not go to the embassy and demand a visa to visit the child. When the child is 18 the child can then legaly apply for the parent to live and what not in the US.

There was a case in the 90's, an african woman, with american born kids (girls). Her husband wanted her gone, back to her country. She didn't want to leave and she did not have a green card (for some odd reason). She said she was the caretaker of the kids, and the govt said, then you can TAKE THE KIDS with you.

She responded that if the children, american citizens, returned to her native country, they would be circumcised. Because of the claim (and a spot on 60 minutes or was it 20/20) and the national attention it drew and all the womens organizations up in arms, she was allowed to remain in the country.

I find this US 'residencey' thing a bit odd - not that I am saying it is not correct.

But are you saying for example that a formily registered child of a US Citizen living overseas and below the age of majority is denied representation of its rights in the divorce of its parents because the child is not resident in the US?

A child is a TOTALLY different ball game, but is not relevant in the divorce between two people. You still have to establish residency.

Now, if a divorce is granted in another country, the spouse can always go to the US, and file for child support. In which case, the mans assets will be looked at in TOTAL and monies will be granted to the CHILD and not the SPOUSE.

But then again, she may be able to file for child support from her own country without having to go to the US. That I am not 100% sure. Though the court may want to physically see the kid.

But being that the spouse is care taker for the child, then she gets the money by default.

So you are mixing chilld welfare/ support with divorce. Two different issues.

And in the case of death, if the parent with the money does not indicate how the child (assuming the child is a minor) is going to for the child(monitarily), then any child, even one out of wedlock, but proven by paternity, inherits property. If the man has re-married, then the child gets a 50/50 split with the new spouse. No spouse and the child gets it all.

So basically if you have kids, write a will and make provisions for them. And if the state has to hire an attorney to act in the best interests of the child, you can rest assured, the kid will inherit very little after the lawyer takes his fees.

Now I know this applies to some states, not sure about all 50.

http://www.divorcesource.com/info/divorcel...eq/states.shtml

This link shows all the states not that I counted.. and it tells you the residency requirements for each of the states..

I clicked on a few and they all said the same thing.. no residency met, no divorce will be heard.

So.. sure she may have paid money to some online lawyer who would have billed her and after 6 months, would have told her.. she needs to be in the state to file.

And like the OP said, she would not have had a way to reach there, , no way to support herself.. no possible visa granted.. so .. case closed.

Plus I am willing to bet if she went to the embassy and said she needed to go to the US for 3-6 months to establish residency so as to divorce her husband whom she married in thailand, so that she could lay claim on to properties he may have already in the US, they would not give her the visa.

Borris Becker learned this lesson.

Of course you are correct that if you are resident in Thailand and all your assets are in Thailand then only Thai law would apply.

I am confused as to the Boris Becker lesson.

His wife, was German, born in Germany, and most likely held a US passport as her father was American. Prior to their divorce, she took the kids and moved to Florida, and established residency. That, is the only way I can see how she could divorce him in the US. There is just no way she could have filed a divorce from Germany in the US without having residency. In NO STATE!

There are a lot of little fine details in the US law.. that people seem to think do not exist but they do.

Under US law, any assets that are fully owned (i.e. no lien exists on the asset) by the man (or woman) prior to marriage are not up for grabs in a divorce settlement. Any assets (property acquisitions, income, etc) that are earned after marriage is subject to review.

--- but they still wouldn't be able to touch the assets he had prior to the marriage.

This is also 100% true. Any monies or property aquired prior to marriage that are paid in full are 100% yours.. They do not get split.

Monies aquired DURING marriage .. is what the lawyers can legally go after.

To get his pension, they need to have been married for (if I am not mistaken, 10 years).

To get his social security they have to be married 10 years.. and not even 9 years and 360 days! Does not work, does not count.

Totally untouchable..

401K I am not sure.. but my guess it has a 10 year span of marriage also.

Now if he owned a house, prior to marriage, and she fixed the sink with her own money.. then she would have a 50/50 claim on it.

Now if he owned a buisness and she worked in the buisness for FREE, no salary, then she would have a 50/50 claim on it.

Anything that she does, to up the value of his property, makes her a co-owner.

Now if he inherits property.. it is his 100%. If he sells the property.. then it becomes community property.

Inherited property in the US is 100% yours untill you change the form in which it was will-ed to you.

qwertz: he has sports or cheerleader fanatsies??

In a week, I'll have the most beautiful thing happens to my life...my baby will arrive. I'm so excited for that. I'll be a mother and a parent.

The other part, I can ignor it. I'm completely done with him when he told me to put up the baby for adoption. It shows the true of himself being selfish and irresponsible.

I'll do everything to be the best for me and my baby. I'll live and raise my baby in the U.S.. Even though I don't have family around, I can do it. I always believe " I can do it and do it better". I see many good opportunities in this country for my baby like education, health care, and the quality of life. I'll take advantages from those benefits for my baby. Hopefully, someday she'll attend the top university and be the best person as she can be with loving and caring of her mother.

There you GO!! Good for you!!

*HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUG*

Jennifer Lopez. I love her laughter and the way she smiles when she laughs.. Speakless of the booty

However, I am pretty certain she had a nose job.. she had some tweaking.

I want to be happy

But I won't be happy

Till I make you happy, too

Life's really worth living

When we are mirth-giving

Why can't I give some to you?

When skies are gray

And you say you are blue

I'll send the sun smiling through

I want to be happy

But I won't be happy

Till I make you happy, too

Ok fellas, who else felt inadequate after reading that (and from a fellow man no less!).

So who wants to write the 50 mistakes women make while having sex?? Or would it need to be 100?

I imagine it would be a very short list, comprising mainly "she expects me to do..."

SBK..

Your responses are forever... "classic". Truly the best!

All of these are usefull & informative points. However, my limited experience here in LOS finds information and knowledge a bit lacking from the female end of the equation. IN GENERAL, the primary interest in a relationship with a Farang is money. Any genuine interest in sex is likely to be secondary. ... ....

ON THE OTHER HAND, I have a "20 something" Thai girl neighbor, who has two Thai boyfriends alternating overnight visits & is likely very busy, day and night. She is no bargirl slut as far as I know and I am sure she knows what spontaneity means.

Quite possibly the one with a lack of sexual interest already has another lover and is simply not turned?

While the other one, is a more realistic look at quite a few girls with men they are interested in, but with no money.