kunjet

i moved to a new apartment and am paying 600B per month for internet, more than what i was paying before for 4mb

the apartment blocks torrents and large downloads, torrents do not load at all and downloads stop at around 20mb at the rate of 25kb/s

i have solved the latter problem by using a download manager which will restart the download, annoying and takes a long time but it works

any suggestions on how to get torrents to download?

Personally the books have not been helpful to me. I need direct interaction and a schedule to stick by. I took classes at Payap before and thought they were good and will get you started.

i live in a sad little soi with nothing: literally there is one food stall that closes at 14:00

i would like to explore more local sois in bangkok

what is your favorite soi and why?

what makes it special?

what's good to eat?

where's good for massage?

what's interesting for sale?

what must i try?

how do you get to it?

Do as Thais do and buy the bottle.

If you buy a bottle in DJ, you get a card and can go in with up to three other people until you exhaust your bottle.

The other bars in soi 2 are more relaxed, and if you have a bottle at any of them you can get into DJ.

You plop down more money up front, but it is way cheaper (and classier) in the long run.

A much nicer way to spend evenings out than drinking in front of the 7-11.

Good luck.

looks bad to me

Vietnamese food is not spicy but has a very refined palate.

Besides pho, I would suggest

banh xeo - crepes with shrimp, bean sprouts, etc.

banana flower salad

bun bo hue, is beef noodle soup from the central region

For those of you with advanced Thai or with Thai bfs that go online. What Thai websites (forums, chats, etc.) do you use and for what purpose? I've found a couple like palm-plaza. I'm looking for general forums, forums on dating, personal ad posting sites, sites with reviews of Thai gay movies, etc. Any help is appreciated.

After being in this program for half a year, I can say that it is good, but has its limitations.

Their focus is on reading and writing academic Thai, so if you are interested in listening and speaking skills, this is probably not the program for you.

The vocabulary is rather difficult. I am in Intermediate 1 (the 4h class of 9) and we are expected to learn a lot of complicated words which I rarely use in everyday life. We do presentations in Thai, which I find interesting. But sometimes I wonder about the utility of such work when our pronunciation is generally bad because they just keep moving on and the students focus so much on the reading/writing that their speaking/listening is not clear.

FYI, some of the students go to private tutors just to keep up with this program. Most of my classmates study for several hours at home every day.

please report back on the outcome when u find out

My Wife and I were disgusted by some pictures sent to her email of some flammingly homo monks running around with purses and kissing and fondling each other in the temple. To have any sexual desire as a monk is something to be curbed but this..this shit is just over the top. Streight men are expected to suppress their sexuality while wearing the robs, why should gays any different?

can u post these pics?

I study Thai at Chula and received a 1 year multiple entry visa from the US before I came (cost $175). Today I went for my 90 day check-in and they said that even though I had a 1 year visa, I need to get a visa extension every 90 days (cost 1900 THB), which is the cost of getting a visa as if I didn't have one. So basically, by having a 1 year visa, I'm double paying for 9 months.

I find this strange and unkosher. So I will instead leave the country at least once every 90 days, because the immigration officer said that if I leave and re-enter I don't need a visa extension. But will I need to pay for a re-entry permit? What does the re-entry permit entail? Any help on this matter would be appreciated.

I highly recommend it though it is a major time commitment.

10 - 3 everyday for 13 months if you complete the program at a cost of 225,000 THB

each course is 100 hours (20 hours per week for 5 weeks) for 25,000 THB.

About half the students are Japanese, mostly in their 20s. The other half are other Asians and farang. The Japanese students are known for their diligence, many study at home the same amount of time as in class. There is a 4 hour exam at the end of every course. You must pass to go on to the next one.

Students who have never studied Thai before have a very difficult time with this program.

They rotate approximately 8 instructors per level, so you can hear different accents, which helps to get by in the real world.

Basic 1 focuses on conversation. Basic 2 teaches all the rules of reading and writing, the exam is on Friday, wish me luck.

I studied 5 years ago at Payap in Chiang Mai and really liked that program. Also intensive, but only 5 levels. I did level 1 and 2 there.

I also studied for 2 months more or less full time at AUA 4 years ago. Since their program is drop in, you come and go as you please and pay for only the hours you attend, which is convenient. I did intermediate and advanced classes there are thought I learned very little. Good for learning slang and fun, but their method is out of touch with reality. You don't practice speaking, just listening to "understand" and absorb with the hopes that after 2,000 hours of sitting there a light bulb will go off in your head and you will suddenly be able to speak in Thai without an accent. Nonsense I say.

BTW, I took these other courses because the Chula program is frequently on wait list, especially in the summer months when Western students are on holiday. Reserve early if you are interested. It's not like AUA where you can just show up and start the same day.

In the Science of Desire: The Gay Gene and the Biology of Behavior by Dean Hamer, Hamer, who is noted in the article previously posted, noted that gay liberation may have the effect of decreasing homosexuality in a population since gay men would stop marrying and reproducing. Of course, this is not the only factor in the passing on "gay" genes. And now it is very trendy in many places for gay men to have babies, so we'll have to wait and see what happens.

I get many mosquito bites every night. I have tried to burn oils and use an electric tennis raquette swatter. I am trying to avoid spraying with chemicals. Any suggestions on things I can do?

There are many younger guys who go to the bars at Ramkamheng and Ratchada, but I personally prefer Ortokor and Lang Suan bars. Lang Suan has many Chula and wealthier students. Ortorkor get more average people. A small bottle of Walker red at Lang Suan is around 1200B, at Ortorkor around 800B, so it is significantly more expensive, but also a lot more centrally located (can walk from BTS Ratchadamri). Either way, it will be very cliquish, so go with a group of friends and share a bottle.

I believe the OP is incorrect. Gay can used as a NOUN. So you can be a gay. It is not common usage with Americans to use it that way, but it is standard usage for Filipinos who will usually say "Is he a gay?" rather than "Is he gay?".

gay

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

gay /geɪ/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[gey] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation adjective, -er, -est, noun, adverb

–adjective

1. having or showing a merry, lively mood: gay spirits; gay music.

2. bright or showy: gay colors; gay ornaments.

3. given to or abounding in social or other pleasures: a gay social season.

4. licentious; dissipated; wanton: The baron is a gay old rogue with an eye for the ladies.

5. homosexual.

6. of, indicating, or supporting homosexual interests or issues: a gay organization.

–noun

7. a homosexual person, esp. a male.

–adverb

8. in a gay manner.

I would agree that in standard American English "gay" is most properly used as an adjective when describing queer males. But various argot and contextual situations do call for gay as a noun: "He is a really big gay, but he is not an A gay."

Correct me if I am wrong, but in Thai, "gay" is a noun so that you are either a man or a gay but not a gay man. When it is used like gay-queen and gay-king, I think it remains a compound noun rather than an adjective modifying a noun. It never refers to lesbians, who are either tom (kinda like butch), dee (kinda like femme), or ying-rak-ying (woman loving woman). There has been a lot written about the use of "gay" in Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines and it is not used the same way. For example, the bantut in the Southern Philippines refer to themselves as "gay" and other people call them "bantut." Like in Thailand, when people will call gays "kathoey" just because they are not straight.

The transgender bathroom sign might be humorous, but it is also insignificant in Thailand. Ladyboys use the women's bathroom. Tyke, I don't know where you have heard that women object to ladyboys being in the women's bathroom, but my Thai ladyboy has never experienced a problem in her country. Now in the USA or Canada...well that's another issue.

See the current BBC News website about 'Thai School's Third Toilet:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7524004.stm

The girls 'felt uncomfortable', which, Ok may not be the same as 'objected to', but I've read similar accounts in the Thai media.

Well worth watching that BBC news video. I just happened to see it broadcast on BBC World News this evening - and the overwhelming message that comes across from the students and the school principal is just how ordinary and common sense the idea is for all concerned. Really refreshing after I'd been wading through the knee-jerk spoutings you can find in the current "Why Are Their (sic) So Many Ladyboys In Thailand ?" thread over in the "General" forum..........

I found this on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwqOdVgVJD0

The boys seem effeminate, but not feminine.

There have been several previous postings about transgender bathrooms in Thailand. I am wondering if anyone has seen one or has a picture of the bathroom sign.

I came across several descriptions like this: So, when classes resumed in May, the school unveiled a unisex restroom designated by a unique sign -- a human figure split in half -- part man in blue and part woman in red. Below it are the words "Transvestite Toilet."

I would love to see pics of these signs. If you have them or have found them online, please post/post a link. Thanks

Actually, there are several variations but I don't know why. Here are a couple more taken recently.

I didn't realize the first one is transgender. Don't they use that for "men" at the store Playground?

Thai Transvestite Toilet Sign (It took ages to load)

thanks

There have been several previous postings about transgender bathrooms in Thailand. I am wondering if anyone has seen one or has a picture of the bathroom sign.

I came across several descriptions like this: So, when classes resumed in May, the school unveiled a unisex restroom designated by a unique sign -- a human figure split in half -- part man in blue and part woman in red. Below it are the words "Transvestite Toilet."

I would love to see pics of these signs. If you have them or have found them online, please post/post a link. Thanks

No one taught me anything, and, unfortunately, that led me to bad, bad sex.

Porn is not a good guide, especially in terms of expectations.

This has made me realize that I have no limits

My bf is Vietnamese American and when we tell Thai people they are surprised. They all say he looks Chinese but I think the surprise is like: Oh my god, how did you get out of the country, or how do you have money to travel. We also hang out with some Vietnamese Americans in Bangkok. But, I also think Vietnamese are popular because they generally have light skin, like Chinese.

Yes Yes Yes But I'm an American, so Europeans seem more effeminate in general.

Loved the game, I'm your new #1.

I never said you were lying Scott. I sent out a link to my profile to 2 unsolicted people and to the few people who PMed me regarding my post. I did post the profile link, but it has been removed by the moderator. I believe that should be the end of it. I'm not interested in discussing my personal affairs.

Thank you all for your suggestions on restaurants and such. I have been making use of them. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.