BangkokReady

But a pack of Marlboros doesn't make people think that he may have fallen because of drugs and Thailand could not be implicated.

Vilified? Didn't she run away with the money? What did she do with the money?

Had to come and read the article to see if they were saying that they respect religious beliefs, but won't respect public health. Not a great title.

Indeed. Just checked out some of his "work". Really just a lame "tag". You would think that a foreigner would think better than to just go around making the city he's being allowed to live in look worse.

Great reference. "We managed to rectify it though, it now says… by adapting it, it now says “cook” where it once said “cock”. And it says “pass” now, where it once said “<deleted>”. So it’s slightly less rude."

It's too hot to work out properly outside.

No excuse for violence, but it's common etiquette to let someone use equipment first if they have been waiting to use it. Imagine you've been waiting patiently to use a piece of equipment, then when the person using it leaves someone else jumps on it. You tell them politely that you were actually waiting for that equipment and they say "there's no queue for the equipment" and just go on using it. Doesn't justify hitting someone with a dumbbell, but the "victim" sounds like a bit of an a$$hole.

The annoying thing about this, is that although some people like "street art" and see it as being beneficial or improving the look of the area, people ignore the fact that some people don't like it and it also remains someone's property, which they might not want to be graffitied upon.

*suspected *suspected

Funny, I never had you down as a communist. You talk about running a business, you say you dine with wealthy people, yet you object to the very system that allows you your comfortable lifestyle. If you think your hands are clean of explotative working practices or predatory lending, I would suggest you think again.

Not in the slightest. The guy went mad, fought the guy, got beaten, then murdered him. This isn't some great stand against predatory lending. It's not OK to kill people just because they beat you in a fight, even if you're Thai.

Cross trainers are good (I think that's an elliptical trainer). I'm not sure how good they are for building muscle, but they must strengthen your body generally. Certainly good for cardio and low impact on your joints. Also kettle bells are good for home workouts. Take a look at them. Should be able to do some squat style lifts and presses with those. They're pretty versatile and come in a range of weights/sizes. You could maybe include a small step thing. I'm not sure what they're called, but you can get plastic steps that are specifically for exercise. I'm sure you've heard of step aerobics? You need to make sure you're in a safe area in case you have a balance issue mid-workout though. But you need to be motivated and prepared to put the work in. Until you build your strength up, it's going to be hard. (I'm not an expert and still relatively young, but I've been a fairly keen gym goer for years.)

Could be interesting. The money lender might have been OK to be there as it was in the shop and he was asking for money owed to him. He doesn't sound like an intruder. If the guy started a fight over the money, then shot the guy because he lost, self-defence may be hard to prove.

Are you sure he was "taking out a money lender" and not simply killing the guy who beat him in a fight? I have no doubt that money, and the demanding of it, played into the fracas, but I'm pretty sure that the getting the shotgun and shooting the guy was simply linked to losing a fight.

Somchai reaches down, gets his phone, opens facetime, switches off the camera and mutes the microphone, then goes back to playing games.

Uniforms have nothing but a positive effect (hair cuts debateable). Unless you feel that "building a consumer identity" is something that is more important for school students than learning...

Nah, kids have been hanging out the whole time. There might be a few per class whose parents kept them in, but I'm sure they will be "socialised in" by the other students. It happens fairly naturally. The real issue is "how to get kids that have effectively just had a year long school holiday back in the right frame of mind to study properly in a classroom?". Also, most schools were open for the first year of the pandemic. They just missed a couple of months. Online learning was in year two.

Probably a month of teaching kids discipline and how to behave in the classroom again would be more helpful. Many students have seen the last school year as a long holiday. Study online was very ineffective.

"Consequences? I don't like those. This makes me mad!" fight, fight fight "Losing a fight? I like that even less than consequences. Now I'm even more mad!" shoot, shoot, shoot "Aaah. That's better. Murder and off to jail for me. It was definitely worth it over a few thousand Baht." And so it goes...

If I'm reading it right, he isn't coming from a non-B. He's going from a, presumably bonafide, ED visa, then onto agent quired Volunteer visa, then (possibly agent obtained) medical visas and covid extensions. All seems quite unlikely with agent obtained extensions, but would love to hear an update if successful in Thailand or a neighbouring country.

Funnily enough, in the US and the UK, class systems are pretty ingrained. Neither country has much social mobility. At least in Thailand rich and poor alike can be corrupt. In the West, only the wealthy elite can afford to be corrupt.

I'm not so sure. Outside of appearance and culture, Thai schools are actually pretty lax, behaviour-wise, with few consequences seen for rule breaking. Much like the police and courts. I think that the strict uniform, religion and respect aspects of the curriculum might be the only things keeping the students from anarchy. Be careful what you wish for, because you certainly won't be getting the critical and independent thinking to replace what there is now anytime soon.

He looks to be awake, so presumably, yes.

Free-thinking? Or just obeying a different group?

It also isn't a wet floor, as it is outside.