dressedingreen

No April fool!

My email was held up for hours because of this little joke. I use AIS to connect, and a number of their domains were compromised by the action. For 2 days I was constantly refused outgoing mail access, and received error messages telling me to visit a Spamhaus website to reset the 'offending' domains. It appears some of the AIS domains were considered to be implicated in the attack, probably falsely.

All back to normal now. Well ... as normal as AIS ever get when asked to send data in the general direction of the internet without trying to bounce it off Mars.

DIG

but... but English beat them, there are 109 English against 99 Russians, shouldn't they start with English?

Maybe the English aren't stealing Thai jobs.

The English always say 'please' first.

I'm unsure how many Thais understand the full implication of the word, however

DIG

Greed is bad! It keeps the world going, but in the wrong direction.

If the Russians leave in their droves does this mean the Thai banking system will collapse, ala Cyprus? Or does it mean the Thai banking system WON'T collapse, ala Cyprus?

MUCH more importantly (and I have to agree with other posters who have commented in the same way) that really is a SERIOUSLY bad shirt. Maybe someone should post it as a poll on Facebook. Name and shame ... and all that!

DIG

try this guy [email protected] thai company expat run

Thanx for this!

DIG

I wonder if the security agencieswoud be so kind as to give us an idea of what to expect THIS year ?..

1. airport invasion

2. civil war on the streets of BKK

3. human blood splashed on buildings

4. Demolition of Pattaya

5 a touch of border war between Thailand and Cambodia

6. Mr T phoning in to incite the mass

7. Another Songkran boobie outrage...

8 creation of another hub

9 Rolling power black outs

You forgot 'crackdown on (insert latest obsession)'.

DIG

Hi Tombkk!

Yes, she has a company, and the company is registered for import/export.

DIG

Looking for shop glass fronts/doors for double fronted shop, and need floor tiled. Wife's first business so looking for reasonable rates. Anyone had any experience/have any suggestions/recommendations? Also racking (light industrial/robust commercial) for same. Found a BKK company but they want payment in arms and lags :-(

TIA

DIG

I'd be interested to hear any info too. Wife has a new business starting soon and wants to import from Korea. She's unused to dealing with Customs & Excise Dept so a good freight forwarder/customs clearance agent would be good in the early stages for her.

TIA

DIG

As usual, we have the 'hang 'em high' brigade in spraying large quantities of testosterone around the forum, as if that attitude would ever make a difference to paedophilia.

Sadly, the 'local' approach to these kinds of problems lets the offender go free to abuse other children. For a society that brandishes altruism as a cultural icon it seems many people consistantly fail their neighbors in pursuit of financial gain. A national institution, for sure. In developing countries, where many mothers have to work to feed their families, this kind of problem will persist, especially when the available child care is unofficial. What is needed, apart from enhanced sex education in schools, is some of the money that went on buying votes to be used on TV and localized campaigns to educate the masses on fundamental societal problems. Child sexual abuse would be one of them.

I read yesterday that many of the small villages on the Indian subcontinent have similar problems. Asia could use the experiences (minus the OTT reactions of local governments) from western countries to raise awareness of the negative effects on children of all kinds of abuse, sexual and otherwise.

The use of knives (blunt or otherwise), and boiling blood doesn't solve problems. It may assuage the anger of a few readers until they find something else to vent their accumulated rage at, but it's of no use in the real world.

DIG

Countries are no different to individual people. They are born, often reborn. They have a childhood, an adolescence, life experience, and sometimes they die prematurely. During their lives they will often try to reinvent themselves, put aside their murky past. As with people, no two countries are exactly the same. They each have their individual personality, their cultural history and their dreams of a better tomorrow. Like people, they feel emotion. They react to outside stimuli. They hope, and they fear.

Take the US, for example. From their rebirth in the 1800's they were like a rebellious child. They saw the way the world was and they were determined to be different. They had a collective consciousness and a collective dream. Their early thoughts were to build a better world, one where their people could prosper through hard work and a fair society. They built strong institutions, took cultural risks, made themselves the subjects of their own experiment. And when they felt they were well on their way to achieving their goals they determined to take their message to the rest of the world, to encourage change, to evangelize their doctrine.

It's doubtful, based on recent events that many would immediately seek to copy the American model without personalizing it to suit their own culture. And it may be that many cultures would not take easily to the Americanization of their nation. Indeed, some have openly said so. The same set of clothes doesn’t suit everyone. But it would be impossible to deny the impact US lifestyle has had on their contemporaries, even their European ancestral homelands, from where many US citizens originated. America opened up many areas of life that had been forbidden before this new boy on the block came of age. One could easily describe the US as somewhat schizophrenic. Its rhetoric is so often contradicted by its actions. Does a nation that sees itself reporting directly to God, try to carpet bomb others into non existence? But it was always a bold experiment and the journey was never going to be an easy one. One thing is certain. The world was never going to be the same after this evangelist gained the strength to impose its will. Sometimes, its exuberant culture shines a light where others would prefer it didn't.

Thailand has managed to retain many of its ancient customs. Like most Asian nations it is only now beginning to emerge from its long and puritanical childhood. It still pays homage to its cultural heritage with reverence. Its people generally still accept and respect the institutions that have dominated the culture for centuries, unlike many western cultures where ancient institutions have been restricted, dismantled, or replaced with modern equivalents. Its move to become a democracy has not been without problems. Old habits, and institutions, die hard. If the west is a good example, they sometimes die violently too. The 'children' of Asia, many of whom have recently acquired a huge amount of global capital due to the financial shift from west to east, are keen to reinvent themselves, perhaps purchase a new set of clothes. They would like recognition of their new status. They wish to promenade with style, and respect. But like all adolescents they are uneasy with themselves. They haven't yet come to terms with what is required for them to be accepted as equals in a world that increasingly demands openness as a prerequisite for full access to the elite class of successfully cooperating nations. They have to learn to be hypocritical quietly, to institutionalize and make acceptable their culture's dark side. Studiously, in the privacy of their cultural bedroom, they have to begin to accept and understand their imperfections, to own the notion that their learned books don't tell the whole story of what it is to be human. They have to absorb the full meaning of what it is to live in the physical world, that balance is all, and acceding to the demands of the inner greedy and selfish toddler will always leave them vulnerable to the derision of those who have learned that respect must be earned. Stones must be lifted. Dark corners must be illuminated. Frames of mind must become more flexible. And inequalities must be challenged, even if the result is perpetual musical chairs.

As a multiculture, we must learn to laugh at ourselves and with others, at our imperfections. The Thai people who struggle for a voice and the strangers who have taken root here share a mutual imperative to infuse each other's sense of wellbeing, to learn that neither have all the answers. And to gently, without insult or judgment or exploitation, guide this 'young person' out into a world where humor is an accepted way of bringing to light some of life's most intractable problems. The antidote to ridicule is change.

DIG

This confirms to me that farangs come to Pattaya mainly for the food. What else could it be?

Cheers.

I know you are joking.

However, of course Pattaya is not specifically a food destination. That said:

Bangkokians looking for Thai seafood favor Hua Hin over Pattaya.

Savvy Bangkok expats know Pattaya is a good place to go for reasonably priced European food (compared to Bangkok).

Pattaya has some stellar ethnic surprises mostly known only by their predictable ethnic groups. For example: Korean food.

Expats living in Pattaya didn't move here for the food, but they've got to eat, and there is definitely a good market for decent and interesting food here, and if you know where to look (not always easy) the market is met. Not for anywhere near all kinds of food types, but still, plenty of choice.

I think we are going to be waiting a very long time before we have an Ethiopian restaurant here, but on the other hand I'm sure we have more Iranian restaurants than any place in Thailand (or probably the entire region).

So this is one of the smart reasons for having an expat community forum.

Now Jingthing has whet my appetite for Iranian food. I spent some time in Iran way back when. Lived with an Iranian woman in London for a number of years before realizing she was actually as crazy as THE Ayatollah. The Iranian community in London was a good place to be for excellent food. But I've not had Iranian food in Pattaya. And I'd like to revisit an authentic menu. So ... anyone who has a serious recommendation for a good Iranian restaurant, do tell. What has annoyed me so many times, when trying new eateries in Pattaya, is the disappointment of going home feeling we could have cooked much better food ourselves for less than half the price.

While we're squeezing the recommendations lemon, how about a good Indian restaurant? I have always had a passion for different cuisines. And I've eaten excellent and often inexpensive meals in the countries which spawned the recipes. Many western restauranteurs became greedy, serving nice food in small quantities, but with gigantic price tags attached. It became a fad. Just another way of brandishing one's success. It was and is totally unnecessary. For example, some of the best regional Indian food I have ever eaten has been in Bradford, UK. The restaurants are small, local, some actually served in the sitting rooms of terraced houses, slightly rearranged to accommodate customers for maybe just 3 days each week. But many of these places are Indian food heaven. And the prices a mere fraction of the more pretentious establishments.

I agree with Jingthing. We should support those eateries that provide good food at a reasonable cost. And I'm always glad to see recommendations in this forum.

Indian, Iranian ... and any others that might be worth a weeked visit ... please!

DIG

For a city the size of Pattaya the food leaves much to be desired . Plenty of choice but low quality in a high percentage of eateries.

High on beer bars, soapies, tuggies, gogo(ies) etc; but low on fine cuisine. So for me ... there's nothing much to talk about, goodfoodwise (except the lack of it).

DIG(ie)

New business requiring shopfitting/racking + signage. Anyone in Pattaya have any experiences with local businesses in this area of expertise? Anyone we should avoid?

Thanks

DIG

Jimmy Saville likes this passage

LikeD!

Would be nice if girls remembered to take the pill. No good coming out suddenly and saying "pregnant". Have had 2 bad experiences. In 2010 a school friend who was going steady with me for 6 months. She suddenly got pregnant. I was shocked. The girl just 16 y.o. was thrilled and so were her Thai parents. It took Dad's intervention (my last resort and I was made to suffer ) to get the girl's family to re-consider. A second time just a few months back a lady working in one of the family businesses began going out with me. She's about 15 years older than me. Almost my Mum :-) LOL. Anyway, during the weekends I stayed at her home I became friends with her 17 y.o. daughter. Before you knew it the daughter got pregnant. They were delighted, the mum included. Again it took my family intervention to get them to understand that it was not okay.

sigh.....Thai women all seem to want babies whenever things are going well.

Never a care for the right time or the future or how the bloke feels.

For me its been two very expensive involvements, and I'm not even 20 as yet.

I am really quite speechless......

I'm not!

Take some responsibility, SC!

If you're from a country where sex education is a priority, and you have benefitted from the openness in that society, use that knowledge here and stop trying to dump the responsibity for your maverick attitude toward sex on the girls you sleep with. As you mature you'll start to understand that testosterone has its downside.

DIG

Ah, okay Nisa, dressedingreen and all the others "it happens everywhere, so don't bother": fine!

We just sit back and relax, don't bother, don't feel sick and disgusted...mai pen rai!

And the next time some red or yellow- mob settles in the city or at the airport, we just let it be. It's a Thai- thing, so don't bother!

And if someone kills someone for 500 baht- they always have done it like that, so...<deleted>?

Just chill out, have a beer and put on the rose tinted glasses.

Just for your information: I guess, most of us know, these kind of things happen elsewhere...

...and why does that not make me feel one bit better?

DocN!

I don't mind you referring to any of my posts. But when you do so please read the post carefully before attributing assumptions to what I have said. Nowhere in my post does it say, or even strongly suggest, that I have a 'don't bother' attitude. Just the opposite. The story I linked to is unequivocal in its condemnation of child brides. I suggested, at the end of my piece, that just posting how angry it all makes the majority of expats who read this forum doesn't actually change anything (the unwritten suggestion being that active support of those agencies that raise awareness and funds to fight this kind of unenlightened practice would be a more helpful way of showing concern).

Your own cliche ridden post adds nothing of any value to the discussion. Just another outburst of unhelpful anger ... until tomorrow's folk devil appears for us to vent over. How many of the following organizations have you contributed money or other help to in your lifetime? The Elders ICRW Hope CWA Care IOWD Population Council EMC Veerni

I'd seriously question your assertion that 'most of us know, these kind of things happen elsewhere'. This topic has had over 200 replies. I suggest you count how many actually refer to the the fact that similar instances occur in other cultures. Ask yourself what you knew about the subject before you stopped by, vented, and carried on with your daily life.

It's easy for any of us to throw a little manufactured anger at an injustice at the time of reading and, feeling we've 'contributed', carry on as usual. It momentarily assuages our annoyance that we can't control the world.

But then what?

DIG

How interesting it is to observe the self righteousness that emerges from the average 'first world' expat on learning the world does not always adhere to their ideals of justice and goodness. Most 'back home' will have paid little attention to the International Day of the Child. For those who believe that Thailand is one of the FEW countries left on the planet where child brides are commonplace, more than 10 million girls are forced into intergenerational marriages, in over 50 countries, each year.

You may find this Daily Mail report enlightening ... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2216553/International-Day-Girl-Child-2012-Devastating-images-terrifying-world-child-brides.html

Simply playing 'ain't it awful' in here changes nothing.

DIG

Well, Suradit69, you sure did get your knickers in a twist over this! I could say that using Jimmy Saville as a means to laud Thai morality is perverse, to say the least, but I will instead say that if this had happened in Thailand it would never have made the news, but would have been covered up and swept under the carpet like so much else.

Good grief, man, a drunken, coke-snorting son of a hi-so slaughters an on-duty policeman and walks away scott free after the family chucks some loose change (to them!) at the bereaved. Now start to pontificate over the superior morality of Thais.

This, of course, could never happen in the West ... right? After all, money and power are mere concepts in a Western court. No Westerner could ever (WOULD ever) use their position, or their wealth, to try to mitigate a serious offense. Sure?

Incidentally, I read nothing in Suradit69's post that suggested they were attempting to promote the superiority of Thai moral values. Perhaps you could put away your prejudices and read the post again. Show us where it actually says (or even strongly suggests) that Thai moral values are superior.

DIG

This type of thing is almost a daily occurrence. What is it with Jomtien?

DIG

The idea that coconut oil isn't good for the heart has many challengers now.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/323419-is-coconut-oil-bad-for-your-heart/

http://www.nutritionvista.com/NutritionBuzz/is-coconut-oil-good-or-bad-for-heart-health-coconut-s-effects-on-cholesterol-health,344.aspx?pId=2

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/coconut-oil-benefits_b_821453.html

I take a tablespoonful with cereal every day.

Perhaps we should applaud the fact that they managed to find Afghanistan. No small feat for a country whose presidents are not known for they geographical prowess.

DIG

I suggest this is passed to the minister for cement, who could easily arrange for the cracks (ooops! I mean faultlines) to be filled in. I'm surprised Siam Cement hasn't lobbied him already.

DIG

I understood a small part of it WAS relocated in the first few seconds.

Just saying!

DIG

Health Minister Witthaya Buranasirin doesn't look too well, does he?

Fever, headache, tiredness.... I wonder if he ate 'gai' whilst visiting the so called egg infected areas of puying BKK?

-mel.

I agree! This man is not a good advert for public health. Certainly, I'd want him checked over before letting him near any livestock.

DIG