AsianAtHeart

Some people are more apt to catch on and translate words which may at first come across in an unfamiliar accent or pronunciation. I was flying to England on British Airways with my brother years ago. We sat in the middle section, and he was served by the flight attendant on his side, whereas I was served from the aisle on my side. His flight attendant reached him during the beverage service and asked him, "Would you loik a gloss of spockling watah?" (Doing my best to spell her British accent.) My brother couldn't make out what she was asking: "spockling water?" He couldn't get what that might be. I immediately understood, however. So I turned to him and translated, English-to-English, saying "sparkling water." "Oh!" ...and he understood.

I was looking down through the posts to see if anyone would mention Taiwan. It seems to me the most fitting option within the Southeast Asian region indicated by the listed options in the OP. Taroko Gorge is very pleasant, the high-speed trains are very comfortable and efficient, and Taiwan will give any Thai a taste of a culture and societal development that cannot be found in Thailand. For example, unlike Thailand where the train from Bangkok to Ubon might run an average of two hours late, it is uncommon in Taiwan for a train to be more than about two minutes late at any station. If you are late--you missed the train! In Taiwan, any restaurant with the reverse-Nazi symbol (Buddhist symbol) on display will have Buddhist-vegetarian food, so if you prefer vegetarian, you don't even need to read the Chinese menu in such a place, everything will be vegetarian--and these restaurants are fairly common. Some of them have a buffet-style, all-you-can eat, option. Women tend to like food, and trying new things. I would not say that Taiwanese food is a special as perhaps Japanese or Korean food might be, but there are some unique items in Taiwan that you and your wife might like to try, if only for the experience! ... like "stinky tofu." In one of the beautiful Buddhist restaurants on a high hill overlooking the Yilan/Jiaosi area, they served a peanut tofu (tofu made from peanuts, instead of from soybeans). That was amazing! Taipei 101, once the tallest building in the world, is nice to tour. There are some nice hotsprings, the Sun-Moon Lake resort area is beautiful up in the mountains of central Taiwan, and there are some good places to go shopping--but I think you have this virtually anywhere. In Hong Kong, prices were through the roof. I bought very, very little while I was there, it was all so pricey. Singapore seemed pretty crowded with urbanization, but next-door Malaysia was beautiful. I'd say the Malaysian culture is more similar to Thailand, though, and would be less special/exotic to a Thai. In my opinion, Taiwan is one of the more Westernized countries in Asia. They drive on the same side of the road as in America, use 110-volt electricity like America, and even use American-style NTSC television, unlike most places which use PAL or SECAM. But there are limitations to any destination, and Taiwan may or may not suit your interests. One thing to prepare for with Taiwan: rain and tropical storms, especially during the typhoon season. In Taiwan, if a typhoon strikes the island, the 24-hours of landfall are declared public holiday, and all businesses close. People will hole up at home. The buildings are well-built, so fatalities are rare, and usually limited to those who dared to go outside during the storm and were struck by debris--unless there is a major flooding event, which can be more devastating.

I tend to avoid that term as well, but I qualify it by saying I am "conversationally fluent." I read Thai, translate, and have even edited the Thai translation of a book, checking it for grammatical issues, and some spelling. But I would not claim to be perfectly fluent. I am comfortable with everyday Thai, but would struggle in a higher-education type setting, or where tons of "ratchasap" gets used.

In the case of the waitress not understanding your Thai, either your Thai was not enunciated clearly enough, or she was probably not from either Laos or the Isaan region--both of which usually understand Thai perfectly. (Laotians from up-country who grew up without electricity, i.e. a TV or internet, will have a little more difficulty with Thai.) Laotians typically watch Thai TV, and understand it well, yet they are not comfortable speaking it. If the waitress, therefore, understands you easily, but replies with difficulty, or you have a hard time understanding her, then she might be Lao. If she doesn't understand Thai well, I would be more inclined to think she might be Burmese, Khmer, or Vietnamese. Grammatically, Lao and Thai are perhaps 95% the same; but lexically they are between 60-70% the same. Many of the most common verbs, pronouns, etc. are entirely different words. For me, Thai is frustrating to learn for many reasons. Mostly, I find it a difficult language to use when clarity of communication is critical. Thai (Lao, too) is grammatically deficient, lending to many potential misunderstandings. This may be a part of the many conundrums endemic to the Thai society encountered by foreigners--usually with frustration. For example, the following (small sampling) words do not exist in Thai: adopt/adoption -- word does not exist; usually replaced by "make-merit child" aunt (must specify "older" or "younger" than parent) believe -- no distinction between this and "faith" brother -- must say "older" or "younger"; there is no equality character -- word does not exist; usually "personality" is used in its place faith -- no distinction between this and "belief" gospel -- simplifies to "teachings of Jesus" or "happy news" God -- word can also reference earthly king or monarch lest -- no equivalent Lord -- word can also reference earthly king, monarch, etc. neither/nor -- no equivalent never -- this word, if used to reference the future, is untranslatable of -- no equivalent; can use a similar preposition, e.g. "from", "belonging to", "for", "about" sister -- must say "older" or "younger"; there is no equality There is no punctuation in Thai, so it is not possible to use commas, semicolons, etc. to indicate where subordinate clauses should be restrictive or nonrestrictive. For example, only one of these two English sentences can be properly translated into Thai without additional explanation. "My brother, who lives in Australia, is coming." [this translates] "My brother who lives in Australia is coming." [indistinguishable from above] Thai is often more succinct for simple and everyday language--but start talking about abstract, theoretical, or religious concepts and Thai becomes very weak at clearly communicating the concepts. Bigger concepts are often described using smaller words. "Impossible" is communicated by saying "is go not can" in Thai. Etc. As an old saying goes, "familiarity breeds contempt." I've reached that point with the Thai language.

The Isaan language is essentially Lao. It is as different from Thai as Portuguese is different from Spanish. And just as the Portuguese understand Spanish better than the other way around, so do the Lao/Isaan understand Thai better than the reverse. A look at the history will show that the Isaan region was once a part of Laos. Theirs is actually a different language, which, mostly for political reasons, is not called "Lao" inside the Thai border.

The less educated tend to use that term "farang," but the more clever / intelligent / polite Thai will deliberately avoid that word because it is neither the officially correct word to use for alien visitors ("farang" actually should mean "French") and because most foreigners have picked up on it and will catch it in their conversation. The word they will use to keep you out of the loop that they are talking about you is "kon tang chat" (คนต่างชาติ) (person of other nation). An alternate version might be "kon tang dao" (คนต่างด้าว) (person of other land, more often used for Burmese, Lao, etc. or perhaps for illegal immigrants--basically any non-Thai citizen).

As dead people don't talk, it's not a "he said, she said" situation--we have only "he said" and no one to contest it. That said, I think the investigators need to do their work a bit more carefully to determine exactly who was using a smartphone, and how fast each was driving, and who was in whose lane. The pickup driver could be lying through his teeth. The amount of damage seen in the front of his vehicle appears disproportionate to his description of the event to my inexpert point of view. Let the accident investigators make that determination, but I hope they do thorough work.

Notably, he could be perfectly truthful in saying this, whilst at the same time not confessing that he had not yet reached said "halt" when the collision took place.

I'm not saying she was legal. Neither was it "legal" for my mother to take me out on a back road at the age of 13 and teach me how to handle our stick-shift car. She wanted to know that, in the event of an emergency, I would be able to drive the car. In my experience, those who start driving earlier are better drivers. Perhaps they have less confidence when they are younger, and therefore pay more attention to what they are taught, such as always checking the mirrors, doing head checks before changing lanes, etc. And Thailand has no such thing as a learner's permit--so they cannot legally learn to drive. This is why it then becomes needful to just "pass" them at the licensing office, with barely the skills to start the car and park it, when they obtain their full license. Wouldn't it be better to issue a learner's permit that required, until they had their own license, that another driver be with them who had at least five years' driving experience? As for motorcycles, I've seen what appear to be 8-year-olds driving them around here, and no one bats an eye. They handled the controls just fine, too. That's more than I could say for myself, as my parents firmly opposed "murder-cycles". They thought they were too dangerous.

I was driving a car, legally, with a driver's license, at the age of 15. And I was a safe driver. The problem is not the age. In fact, the younger one is when he or she learns to drive, the better it is for training one's driving reflexes and habits. The problem here was clearly the phone addiction. Maybe she was too young to have a phone.

It is heart-rending to see yet another victim of this tragedy, and what now is to become of her two motherless children? So sad. The tragedy continues.

Thoughts are encapsulated in words (usually). It's a mental dialogue one has with himself or herself. And can those words be controlled? Yes, but not easily. It takes diligence in monitoring one's own thoughts and not permitting them to wander to undesirable or forbidden themes. The Bible addresses the "words" aspect in several ways, beginning with Jesus' statement that "out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh" (Matthew 12:34). The heart, of course, represents the desires or thoughts of the mind. Taking this one step further, the "tongue" (words spoken) is addressed in James. "For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body." (James 3:2). "But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison." (James 3:8). Ouch! According to this, we all have untameable tongues! If the tongue speaks out of the abundance of the "heart," and the tongue cannot be tamed, what does that say of taming one's thoughts? It boils down to this: The thoughts cannot be controlled by human strength alone. Divine help is needed. But divine help is offered, and available, for those who ask and who seek it diligently. As an old saying states, "God helps those who help themselves." If one prays and asks for help to control his or her thoughts, the next step is to do as much as lies within his or her own power to accomplish this, i.e. answer one's own prayer as far as one is able. When God sees our faith in action, He assists in those areas where we are yet weak. In my personal experience, I have learned to control my own habits of thought, and by this means I was able to rein in physical habits as well. Our actions start with thoughts and feelings (attitudes) of the mind. Only by exercising vigilance over the thoughts can one ever hope to be victorious over the actions. And the process takes time. It takes time to make or break a habit; yet old habits can be replaced with new ones, and in due time (weeks in my case), the habits have changed and it becomes easier to maintain the changes. It will never be safe, though, to entirely relax one's guard...at least not so long as the Tempter still prowls the planet looking for victims to prey upon--and he remembers where we have been weak. The mind is where it all starts, which, if carefully guarded, will lead to successes in its train. Thoughts/Feelings --> Words --> Actions --> Habits --> Character --> Destiny

But what happiness can be derived through mocking? Cynicism, satire, scorn, derision, antagonism, sarcasm, ridicule, and the like all serve to follow their own dark rule: "Misery loves company." If one is not happy, he or she oftentimes will take pleasure in bringing others into the same miserable condition of unhappiness. When one person is drowning, and another swims out to help, the one drowning will typically cling to the rescuer, pushing the rescuer down below the water in order to elevate himself or herself enough for a breath of air. This panic-driven response, however, often costs the life of the rescuer, in addition to the one who was drowning. So it is with those who seek to make others miserable like themselves. No one benefits in the exchange. This is why God's amazing gift of love surpasses human comprehension. We can understand more easily how misery would love company than we can grasp why God would choose to suffer, even to the death of His Son, that we might have true happiness. Many will choose to continue in their addiction to misery...because there is a certain "satisfaction" that comes with self-pity and the thinking that one's own state is worse than that of others. But in the end, this "satisfaction" will lead only to the deepest pain. Far better it would be to, if necessary, even suffer a little indignity, eat one's humble pie and admit his or her faults, in order to escape the pits of despair and plant one's feet on the solid ground of happiness.

Most doctors are unaware of the likely true cause of fibromyalgia. They know some of the basics, but not the original cause, and end up trying to treat the symptoms. However, the problem is of such a nature as makes even this quite difficult, as you must already know. What you need to research is "mercury toxicity." I'm sure you know that fibromyalgia affects the nervous system. Google "University of Calgary mercury video" and watch the 5-minute youtube clip. It shows exactly what mercury does to nerves. Once you know the harmful effects of mercury, then consider possible sources of this toxin that your wife may have been exposed to. There are many possibilities, ranging from medical treatments like vaccines and tooth fillings, to simple household items like fluorescent/CFL bulbs. Certain foods are known to be high in mercury, such as fish and seafoods and corn syrup. Next, once you understand the potential causes, you can look for possible cures. Mercury stays in the body for a long time, being fat-soluble and attracted to fatty tissues, including nerves which are usually surrounded by the myelin sheath, a group of fatty cells. It is estimated that, once in the body, it will take forty years or more for half of it to exit the body via natural processes. The only known way to accelerate this process is via chelation treatments. Look for a doctor who can do "chelation therapy." Unfortunately, here in Thailand, these doctors are hard to find, and some that do this treatment are associated with body-enhancing surgeries (facials, gender reassignments, breast enhancements, etc.). In America and elsewhere, chelations are usually performed by toxicologists, which can be located through the American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM) website. They used to list about four toxicologists in Thailand, but they no longer have Thailand in their list. Once you find a certified toxicologist, you can ask to have testing done to determine what the body's toxic burden is. For mercury, a "quick" test can be done that takes only about six hours to get results called a "provocative urine test." This involves taking a chelator, perhaps via IV, then collecting the urine a few hours later and analyzing it for the presence of mercury. Another test that a skilled toxicologist may be able to read is that of a "hair mineral analysis" (HMA) test. The doctor will need to be experienced to read this correctly because mercury does not show up in hair much (because it isn't hydrophilic), but it can affect the pattern of other minerals which do show up. So even though the HMA lab report may not indicate elevated levels of mercury, seeing the other elements in the list can clue in the doctor who has experience reading the reports. A more recent form of testing involves reading the skin at several points in the hand with a special laser that basically does a chromatographic scan to determine which minerals/elements are present. This test is done with the help of a computer and sent over the internet to a supercomputer in Switzerland for analysis. The doctor pays a fee to the Swiss company for each test run, but will charge the patient even more than this to cover those fees. The advantage of this skin scan is that the results come back almost instantly, and I am told it is quite accurate. Sorry this was so long, but I really sympathize with those who have conditions like this which doctors seem unable to help. Nor are my answers going to bring you an easy or quick cure--but I hope it will give you some peace in having a truer understanding of the situation. Here's a link which you may find useful to back up some of what I've said...but you'll want to pursue the information trail much deeper than any single website will yield. https://www.fibromyalgia-symptoms.org/mercurypoisoning.html

Yes, I would appreciate it. I'm currently printing out and organizing all such information in a 3-ring binder, preparing to go through the (torturous) process in order to alleviate the (equally torturous) mess of paperwork and effort required every year and even every 90 days (my area does not permit online 90-day reports).

Thank you for linking to the source documents. I've recently been reviewing those very documents, but haven't gotten through all of the material yet. As I suspected, though, it does appear you had been referring, not to the PR requirements, but to the requirements for citizenship. You had said: The links you provided for the PR make no mention of 40k. In section 3 (3.3.1; 3.3.2; 3.3.3) of the 1.2.2 document, for example, it quotes a 30k figure and for 2 years instead of 3. There is a 50k figure and an 80k figure, but, again, for 2 years except for some 5-year requirement for an investment case. The 3-year requirements you earlier stated are mentioned in the citizenship requirements here: https://www.bora.dopa.go.th/nationclinic/NewHTML/Section10.htm (That link is Thai--I've seen it in English but cannot seem to relocate it. Google Translate does pretty well, apart from its 5000-character limit. I can read Thai, but I can speed read English.)

This portion was written about 3,500 years ago, but if, as it seems, 2,000 years does not qualify as "ancient" to you, how many years would you consider "ancient"? Those committing incest, rape, adultery, and/or pedophiles were not to be "ongoing." They would have been subject to capital punishment, as some countries still do today--and this would have been accomplished virtually as soon as at least two witnesses came forward to give testimony against the perpetrator, as adjudicated by the city elders who would have presided over the case (no prolonged jail sentence). Did you literally put "666" in your tatt? Even if you did, I don't think that's quite what is meant by "the mark of the beast." The "mark" has more to do with one's character and the leader/laws/doctrine he or she chooses to follow. It's not a literal, visible mark. Sins can be confessed and forgiven, even if they cannot be undone--your allegiance can shift to a better Leader.

Can you tell me why "science" has not removed the fabricated and debunked notions of the peppered moth and Haeckel's embryos ("ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny") from biology textbooks? It would be one thing if they admitted to the actual missteps of history--but they still use these as examples of the supposed genetic process because they seem like such great supports to their pet theory of origins (naturalistic evolution--usually all the way down from abiogenesis). The peppered moth theory is still taught as fact, despite the fact it was debunked decades ago, and known to have been a fabrication (peppered moths land, not on the tree trunks, where they were glued for the photos, but up in the foliage). The nonsense about the tree trunks turning colors due to factory pollution having an effect on the darker versus lighter moths was a clever fraud perpetrated on the whole world. It wasn't the first, and won't be the last. Remember "Nebraska Man"? That was an even more egregious case (and at least that one is now absent from the supposed history of Homo sapiens). No, "science" is not the answer to all of life's problems. Not at all. Perhaps "true science" is, but true science is unknown to most of today's scientists. The truest and highest science that exists in this world is the science of salvation, and, whereas this is the only science that can lead to eternal life, most accept an inferior science in the pursuit of riches, fame, or temporal comfort--all of which are ephemeral. I do appreciate that you took time to read the article. I enjoyed it, too. It is definitely a good read, as you have said, and it would be worth reading for most anyone interested in some of the issues that "science" is facing today. The article only scratches the surface of those problems. One of the elephants in the room is the manner of publication: companies will indeed outsource their research projects to third parties as they should, to have them study the company's products, but when the independent report comes back negative, they simply file it away without ever publishing it. There is nothing particularly "unscientific" about not revealing everything, one might think, and yet, if nine of ten reports comes back negative, the only report published will be the one that returned positive--a rather unbalanced "science," as most might understand. And this is commonplace, especially among the drug companies.

Personally, I would never get a tattoo for each of the following reasons, and would not wish my spouse to have one either for the same reasons. I accept the ancient written command "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD." (Lev. 19:28) I understand that due to toxins in the dyes / inks used to make their bright colors, which gradually leach into the body over time, tattoos are unhealthful. Cancer is just one of the health problems--nervous disorders, allergies, environmental disorders, etc. can all be exacerbated as well. I think most tattoos are ugly -- not too unlike the common perception in Thailand of such skin issues as freckles. The clearer and cleaner-looking the skin is, the more youthful and beautiful it tends to appear. Tattoos tend to fade and blur over time. Tattoos are extremely costly to remove, and painful. Tattoos cost money that I would rather spend in other ways. Tattoos are painful to apply, and potentially unsanitary (can be a source of disease, though, fortunately, this is not usual). Tattoos seem part of the present "selfie" culture in which everyone vies for the attention of others--seems a bit like tooting one's own horn. (I don't take "selfies" either.) There might be more reasons--but that sums up the major ones from my perspective.

That's not play acting...that's possession. And it's not funny.

This, by the way, is true at virtually any country's border--I've experienced it in Canada and elsewhere. The reason is simple: women tend to feel they have something to prove (that they are in authority over you), whereas men are generally more comfortable with knowing who they are and are just doing their job. By the same token, it can often be the case that the more senior the officer, and/or the higher the rank, the more latitude he will grant in dealing with people--simply because he has nothing to prove, he's already settled in his identity (in fact, being lenient may be his expression of his authority--as he has the ability to do so). Getting a man only increases the odds of a pleasant experience: it's not a sure thing, as there are always some who come with an attitude. As for being told that the information was all linked in the computer, this was just a week ago--though I have a hard time believing it has not already been the case for a long time. I suspect that the computer system / software is not well enough developed to make the information easy to access quickly, and it is more routinely accomplished where time allows, such as for visa applications, than in settings where there may be a long queue of people waiting who either already have a visa or are visa exempt. Woe unto the last in line or the one who arrives on a near-empty plane, giving the officers more time! But that the information is there is not in question. I was told, for example, that they have all my visa information from my previous passport, whose number is linked to my current passport in the system.

Very true, and people need to understand this. People should also be told about the potential harms of killing all the naturally existing bacteria in the skin via antibiotic soaps, detergents, and/or alcohol gels/sprays. When the bacteria are gone, a worse thing can take its place--fungus. Let's not forget that molds, fungi, and bacteria compete against each other. Penicillin, the first-discovered antibiotic, comes from a Penicillium mold. Kill one, make room for another. And fungal infections are some of the most difficult to deal with. Sobering fact: Leprosy (Hansen's disease) and tuberculosis are both caused by mycobacteria. The "myco" stems from "fungi," because this is a symbiosis between a fungal and a bacterial component. Antibiotics for tuberculosis must be taken, non-stop, for a minimum of six months to a year--not the average course of a week. Fungi are more to be feared than bacteria. "Don't take other's advice...just mine!" Where is a "proper doctor"? I've known of doctors in Laos that prescribe smoking for lung conditions. Never trust a doctor implicitly with your health. You must be the final judge of what should or should not happen to your body. The doctor knows more about medications, so get his or her advice. But consider the doctor merely as an "expert witness," and retain your own autonomy. I respect those who seek to educate themselves regarding their own health more than those who just blindly submit to the say-so of someone who happens to have an M.D. after the name. Remember, too, that cheating through school is a common occurrence in this part of the world. Those in the habit of getting their grades in this manner in high-school or university, will surely be prepared to continue in the same vein in medical school. How can you know if the doctor is credible?

But the fact is, the visitor's entire history of entries, etc. is available in the system, and, once she scans the passport, should be accessible to her on the screen. Dates should be more easily read there in a list format--why bother scanning the passport's pages manually? (And, yes, I've been told by an immigration officer that all the info in the passport is kept in their system.) So a "new clean passport" should not, technically, fix this issue, aside from the fact it would make it easier for the officer to read the dates in the history. The system tracks the past passport history, and connects it to the current passport.

The fact is, and the public is well aware of this fact, ladyboys pretend to be female, assuming a female persona, even though they are male. This is on par with men who pushed for legal rights to use women's restrooms in America just a few years ago. Remember the debacle with Target stores in America after they opened their restrooms to people of either/any gender? The claim was that if someone "identifies" as a certain gender, he/she/it should be able to use the restroom that matches this identity. Many people, women as well as their husbands and fathers, objected to the admittance of men in the women's restrooms--for good reason. Thai "ladyboys" get around those same social partitions by "identifying" as women. It's not hard to see that, in some cases at least (who knows how many), schoolboys find this an easy way to get closer to the girls--hold their hands, etc. Since it has become a fairly common occurrence, and is virtually accepted everywhere, these "ladyboys" have plenty of freedom to fulfill their wishes without much oversight, even in more traditional schools with strict gender-segregating policies (e.g. those which do not allow students to date, etc.). In those cases where the modus operandi is actually to bypass the traditional social mores inhibiting cross-gender contact, ladyboys would be at increased risk of lechery. And once in the ladyboy groove, the trend continues into adulthood. My observations.

BLIGHTED is an acronym that fits most of that...LGBT is too short these days.