CrunchWrapSupreme

7 minutes ago, meechai said:

In Disneyland? Nothing

VEGAS, BABY! ????????????????????????

5 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

I'm sure those  unemployed due to constant lockdowns and lack of tourists will be happy to just grin an bare it for another indefinite length of time

The question on everyone's lips, "What are they supposed to do now?" No one seems to care. Many returned bargirls in my village, left begging from their grandparents.

What I really don't get is, why they continue getting blasted with these ads on TV, and as they scroll through their social media. Buy this, buy that. Delicious new food, amazing new skin cream. Shinier, flashier cell phones. Sign up for this rewards program to give you more points the more you buy. Buy some more insurance. You'll need it when you wreck these new big trucks you gotta have. Yet these majority of these people are still dirt poor, and been getting poorer since Covid.

What all these ads say to me is that they'd like more customers. It'd really be in the best interest of Mr. CP, Mr. Singha, Mr. Central to somehow create them. Perhaps by giving all these unemployed people jobs, and paying them decently, so that they might buy more of your products? So that they might move into all those vacant condos, not far from the Klong Toey slums, then buy more products to fill them? 

Keep tormenting us with those ads, for stuff no one can buy, for customers who'll soon magically appear I suppose.

13 hours ago, DrPhibes said:

Some of my friends are rocket scientists and more ????  Trying to get the skinny on what exactly is the bottleneck holding up Raptor engine production for Musk.  I think there is a design flaw in one of the pumps due to an alloy choice for the pressures involved but I'm still waiting to hear what exactly.  It might be the last straw for Raptor V1 and now just on to V2 which is easier to build but facilities not ramped up yet for it leading to costly delay.  No such thing as an ex-Marine or Engineer!

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/22/elon-musks-spacex-leadership-shakes-up-as-two-vps-depart.html

Bad news. Sounds like some internal drama. Hopefully they just get the thing to work, I'd really like to see it off the ground.

11 hours ago, stoutfella said:

Mighty be all the millionaire tourists Thailand is attracting

Mmm. I'm one of the quality big spending tourists here at my humble Issan farang bar.

For NYE, me and the wife got 2 steak plates, filet mignon and a burrito, 2 beers, 2 cocktails. 900 baht. Woo-hoo!

Indeed. We just hit 1 million cases in a day. People ask me why. I say total indifference. No masks, no distancing, large gatherings, sporting events and concerts go on as normal. Staunch anti-vaxxers. When vaccine passports are brought up they're met with protest. People fight on airplanes and to enter stores not wearing masks. Hurr, durr, 'Murica!

Wife reads about the continuing labor shortages, and is anxious to be making $15/hr rather than $15 a day here. But given this nonsense we're waiting it out about another 2 years.

I was surprised to see several electric bikes popping up in my village. There are now two such shops in the nearby town. I thought these people were poor. More like poorly budgeting again.

These are electric scooters, for kids to have fun, and for old folks to get around. For the old folks it makes sense. But the kids? Come on. Get them on regular bikes and have them exercise. More fascination with useless technology.

Then there's the batteries, which aren't cheap to replace when they no longer hold a charge, which I doubt most of these guys would be willing to do. Expect to see a lot of these dead bikes laying around eventually.

Heh, one day we were out on the farm, when we saw a kid slowly spinning by on the dirt road. They're not too quick, and less so on dirt, thankfully. Driving in with one hand, cell phone in the other. It's quite some distance out there. If it had enough charge to get there, I doubt there's enough to get back. No power out there. Maybe they've got a solar pump.

Yup. Given all the New Year's travel, we're now teaching from home this week, and possibly next week also.

1 hour ago, KhunLA said:

You're living with her parents, and you want to go back to the USA and live with your mom ?

 

OK ...  and you are how old ?

Yes, I forgot that's a key point. We're both 45. I could see how this plan wouldn't be as viable if you're already of retirement age. My wife can still do 10 years of work in the US to get social security, as well as likely a 401k. And teaching in the US gets me a pension, versus the meager Thai social security I'd get here.

Haha, yes, living with parents both here and there. We're a generation doing such. Home prices, mortgages, out of reach of today's avg salary. I gave up worrying about this ages ago. What initially brought me to the LOS was giving up the rat race and keeping up with the Joneses, worrying about how big my place and car were, the American women turning their noses up at such, as well as my career choice in education. Yeah, living with mom. I'll take it over being homeless any day, seeing what's now filling the streets of America. Most of them, like members of my own family, burned their bridges with drugs and alcohol, while I didn't.

Yes, I realize certain cultures also turn their noses up at living with the 'rents, and prefer putting them away in homes, while others honor the multigenerational household and the fam taking care of each other, one of the several parallels I've found with the Asian culture and my own. Being handed down the house ain't such a bad deal either. Yeah, didn't score the corporate job, the stock options, my own mortgage, yadda yadda. I'm not dead, in prison, or on the street either, like others I know. I'll take it.

My wife had extensive hotel and restaurant experience, and gathered a decent command of English by herself, when I met her working in BKK. But even at that time, several years before Covid, tourism had already been dropping off. So she then traveled with me throughout my teaching jobs in Issan, where she picked up odd jobs.

Then I landed a job in BKK, so we opened a stall in a food market. She raked in 150k baht over three months. She was elated. But when the Covid cases spiked this was brought to an end. One of those bodies in the street you saw in the news wasn't far from that market. Then I got tired of that disgustingly arrogant private school, and we both got tired of the BKK traffic and commutes, so now we're with the in-laws in Issan.

Less income, but also much less stress, and no BKK expenses. Our food stall in the market near our village is substantially less lucrative. A 500 baht take is a good day. Then during this harvest time she's expected to be out there with the fam, cutting the rice and sugar, as they can't take the hit in profit hiring more hands.

One of the Japanese students I teach online said this to me, "What's your wife doing cutting rice if she can speak English?" He really hit the nail on the head. Thus, our plans are about 2 more years of this LOS adventure, then back to my mom in the Midwestern US.

There I've been seeing numerous job postings for hospitality or retail, where she'd really shine. I'm real lucky to have found one that likes to work. She'd start at $15/hr, rather than the $15/day she's getting now, if she's lucky. And as a qualified ESL teacher, I'd get about $5k/month rather than the $2k here. Yes, higher costs in the US, which are mitigated by living in the Midwest rather than the coasts, and having a family home to go back to. Also benefits such as social security, retirement, and my own property, which I wouldn't get here.

I guess those "quality tourists" have finally arrived?

1 hour ago, EVENKEEL said:

I feel for the expats living in Issan next to your lady's family. You followed her to her village instead of you choosing the area in which you wanted. You dumped a bunch of money

Heh, I solved that prob by being a poor teacher hah. They know my salary and that's it. No fat pension or savings to raid. Then I'm financing a car, which they need since they no longer had one, so they know they can't ask for much more.

Having the Issan option was a godsend for me. Fortunately the in-laws are great. Wife and I had to get out of BKK. Could no longer stand the traffic jams and 2 hr commutes each day. And most of all, the disgustingly arrogant BKK private schools. The world would be a much better place with most of those admins and hi-so students/parents blasted out into space.

2 hours ago, cdemundo said:

in-laws in my home country as well.

Some gracious and accepting, some envious and rude.

Haha, don't miss that about the home country at all either. Awkward holiday meetups. You feel the tension in the air from the obvious indifferences, those who are doing well and those who aren't. Then the alcohol/drug probs. As much as we like to point the finger at such folks in Thailand, it's really just as bad if not worse in the States. Fortunately we finally cut it off with some, and haven't seen/heard from them in about a decade.

The ladies above: want to find work.

The bargirls in my village: find every excuse to give their grandparents as to why they can't find work and keep bumming a few baht off them.

On 12/30/2021 at 10:14 AM, Bangkok Barry said:

Places such as Stumble Inn and Big Dogs etc sell food.

Mmm, the memories. It's storytime again folks. I'm bored sitting online waiting for students to arrive for English tutoring, tho none are coming given the long weekend.

Yes, bars with food are great. Bars with both food and ladies are great. Ages ago when I first stumbled into one of those Nana bars, a sweet little thing caught my eye. Toward the back, a little older and chunkier, the ones who don't get much attn. But nicely filled out.

She came over and we had a chat. I was hungry and ordered a plate. I asked if she'd be eating too. She enthusiatically agreed. Yes, I could tell this lady liked to eat. It seemed as tho she hadn't in awhile. Hehe. We hit it off so then of course I had to pay the barfine. Then proceeded one of those nice little, multi day adventures.

In contrast, I had a much worse time with the younger, skinnier ones, as the more attn they get really goes to their heads. I wasted a lot of time with them. Time I wish I had spent more of with the aforementioned type of lady. Older, more mature, more to offer in many regards. Haha. Anyway, yeah. Bars with food. Not only buy a lady a drink, see if she's hungry too. Broaden your horizons.

On 12/31/2021 at 4:25 PM, The Hammer2021 said:

Nobody has been killed at  traffic light as a result  of being criticised. Yes road rage exists in Thailand  and many other countries where serious injuries  and fatalities  are not rare

"At the time reports in Thai media say he was sitting in the road with a few friends when three men pulled up on motorbikes and started revving their engines. Luke then pulled his friends away, at which point the Thai men allegedly unleashed a savage assault on Luke."

https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/crime/british-man-stuck-in-thailand-facing-jail-for-defending-himself

Finished pretty quick again, huh? Hopefully they tightened up the loose ends the previous rounds had. Hotel owners were booking up all their rooms with no guests, and just pocketing the money.

8 hours ago, Isaanlife said:

This sounds more like your twisted fantasy than reality.

 

And, no you have not heard this story several times.

 

If you are actually out in the Isaan sticks, you would know Isaan is the only language they know and you don't.

 

So no one told anyone any stories, unless you are 100% fluent in Isaan.

 

Out in the sticks, people speak Isaan period and have zero interest in English.

 

Newsflash: There are many areas of ruran Isaan that do not have internet or cable TV to this day. So no watching the game on TV.

 

In our village, hardly anyone has any furniture in their house to be sitting around on.

 

Never, never in my entire life (all in Isaan) have I ever heard of a Thai man wanting to practice English.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Haha. Absolutely ridiculous. Not everyone in Issan lives in a house like that. I've been in some very nice houses. Just down the road from my humble village are recent multi floor constructions. Not everyone's a poor farmer. Some have larger farms, businesses, or are well compensated govt officials.

NO Thai men want to learn English? Hahaha. In my time in Thailand I can't tell you how many offers me and my colleagues have had. Oh, you're an English teacher? Want to meet up for coffee? Come over and have dinner? These are businessmen or govt officials who require it for their work. They know very well that "Can't do, no have" doesn't get them very far. Many have studied English in uni and have traveled abroad, and want to keep speaking English in order to develop and maintain it.

Getting such offers takes knowing people, getting out there and networking, being friendly and outgoing. But I suppose if you don't do any of that, I can see how it wouldn't happen.

Not saying that every offer to come over and practice English will result in them also offering their wives. But it has indeed happened to my colleagues. Believe it or not. As you should also believe there are some people with higher standards of living, and more interest in English, out here in Issan.

Really, I can't believe you're serious. Some of the richest families in Thailand are in Khon Kaen. Multigenerational wealth. Superstars attend the university. I'm in a much poorer province and have had contact with some of the more affluent, cosmopolitan types. You are grossly misinformed about Issan.

On the other hand, I'll certainly agree with you that Issan overall is poor, and that this wealth is far too concentrated, and poorly distributed.

I finished work at 4 pm. Out here around my Issan town the checkpoints are already out. Significantly more traffic. Many BKK and Chonburi plates have arrived to visit the fam.

Yup, some are already swerving and unable to stay in the lane a bit. It's no joke, they certainly get started early. "Ki mau, ki mau!", I hear them chuckle.

I had the good sense to wait until I got home to crack open a Singha. Now I'm sitting here reading AN, and waiting for students on my online teaching platform. There's no danger in doing that slightly inebriated. Indeed, it helps a bit. ????????

32 minutes ago, Kinnock said:

but husbands delivering the goods may be a unique Thai feature?

Hehe. I've got a good story to throw into the mix.

Out in the Issan sticks, a farang might eventually be introduced to a Thai man through another farang. Hey, I know this really cool guy, he wants to practice English, or watch football together, while we all drink, or something.

You all go to his pad. You weren't told his wife would be there. She sits and drinks with everyone but otherwise doesn't do much. You begin to wonder what her purpose is there. She is rather sexily dressed, tight dresses and short skirts. You begin wondering if something is on offer, though not explicitly made. Hmm.

After a few of these visits, the farang tells the other farang, don't you like his wife? Uh yeah, sure. Well, don't you want to do the deed? What? With him right there? Sure, that's what he wants. Uhh...how much? NOTHING! Whaaaaat?

Haha. I've heard this story on multiple occasions. What's happening is:

1) Guy is really gay, which his fam doesn't approve of, and needed a marriage of convenience. The lady has her needs.

2) Guy's downstairs is no longer functional. He needs someone to take care of her. Though no longer downstairs, he's still getting jollies out of this upstairs. One of the many such jollies of Amazing Thailand.

13 minutes ago, Cake Monster said:

There is also a culture of selling your Daughter

Several returned bargirls have been in my Issan village, harassing their poor grandparents. Claiming to be unable to find work, they drop by for some baht here and there, not thinking much of their grandparents still breaking their 70+ yr old backs, cutting rice for 5 baht a kilo.

The justification they use for this, a face saving technique I reckon, is that they'll soon be married off to the Thai BF's family they'd been staying with. The number I heard tossed around for this was 50k baht.

Alas, the sales never went through, the BF's fams unable to tolerate a bargirl personality for more than a few months, eventually sending them back to the parents or grandparents.