jetjock

My Thai wife and I live outside of Thailand and fall into the "Don't give a sh*t" category as the corruption will continue regardless of which group is in control with the only difference being which party, leaders, and special interest groups will divide the spoils. (Actually not much different than here in the US except in Thailand they are not anywhere as adept at concealing the corruption under legal guises)

Results of another survey posted in the Bangkok Post today. I hope you expats living in Thailand are marginally happier today like the survey says you are...

BANGKOK POST

Foreign tourists say they will be back

Despite ongoing political turbulence in Thailand, as many as 97 per cent of foreign investors and tourists visiting the kingdom said they would revisit this country again if the opportunity opens, according to a poll conducted earlier this week.

Assumption University's Abac Poll director Noppadol Kannikar said the survey, conducted from September 2 to 5 among 532 foreign investors and tourists, found that 98.9 per cent of the respondents said they would ask their relatives and friends to visit Thailand.

A total of 88.7 per cent of respondents expressed positive comments even after learning of the recent clash between pro- and anti-government demonstrators and the State of Emergency imposed in Bangkok, said Mr Noppadol.

However, 23.8 per cent of total respondents admitted their journeys were inconvenienced due to the suspension of domestic airlines and railway services as a result of work stoppage by employees. Some 11.6 per cent were forced to change their travel plans.

The gross happiness index of foreigners residing in Thailand, however, improved marginally to 8.06 in the latest survey from the 8.02 registered earlier.

I must commend JT on always finding a controversial topic that will provoke discussion !

As a child, I went to Christian schools and even graduated from a Christian university. During those years I had to spend many thousands of hours studying not only Christian doctrine but also took courses in comparative religions of the world.

After all my years of study as a child, my current view of Christianity and all other religions can be summed up very simply in a quote from

from the Bible 1 Corinthians 13:11 which is "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child. Now that I have become a man, I have put away childish things."

Op! you dont have a Mia Noi or even a Mia.............she is just a gf...............important distinctions

Dot com............if major wife finds out I dont think you will feel much hehehe.............You like living on the edge of a razor blade?

I admire your bravery... or is it something else?

There is a very thin line between bravery and stupidity but many seem to overcome it ! (even including myself unfortunately)

After reading on the forum about so many TV members that are wealthy enough to come to Thailand and retire when they are only in their twenties and thirties, I am sure that a fancy 7 million Baht watch would be just a drop in the bucket for them and would be a wonderful gift for them to give as an expression of love to their Thai girlfriend. I am in my sixties and do not consider myself ever old enough to totally retire so I guess my Thai wife is going to be happy with wearing a Casio G-Shock !

If you need a pre-nup, don't marry her.

If you do not need a pre-nup it either means that you are so poor that you have nothing to lose or that she has more assets than you do or that you are very deficient in worldly judgement (aka naive). A pre-nup has nothing at all to do with love but can possibly have everything to do with your financial future.

It doesn't sound like this one is going to fly Andrew ! I suggest you try a subject with more meat to it next time like 'Ten day until the end of the world'---Oops-sorry-I see that someone already took that one!

unfortunately i don't think there are any jobs in what i do (on the internet anyway)... hotels wouldn't hire me for their IT dept. as i specialize in information architecture and they don't see it as necessary. so i am wondering if there are other jobs there to fall back on if my telecommuting gets slow. is it easy to get waitressing and bartending jobs?

my plan is evolving- i think i will go to NY for 6 months to a year first to make cash, and take trips to hawaii to get familiar with the situation there before i up and move there.

I think your decision of making some trips there before deciding to live there is a good one. The city of Honolulu is just another big city and not especially interesting or intellectually oriented. Outside the city and especially the other islands however make for a wonderful laid back tropical lifestyle.

The Hawaiian islands are some of the most liveable islands in the world with an almost perfect climate. The trade winds keep the temperature almost perfect and make for very few problems with mosquitoes which subsequently makes for ideal tropical living It is perfect for all water sports and there are many wonderful places to hike and no poisonous snakes in the islands.

Hawaii is a great place for single women as men outnumber the women. The local boys are always looking for haole girls since many of them are looking for a meal ticket to support their surfing and other endeavors.

I have a home in Kona Hawaii where my wife and I spend about 4 months a year. We love it when we are there since it is very relaxing and we are able to dive, swim and hike almost everyday due to the perfect climate however we do get island fever (bored) after awhile and are then off to another one of our other homes. Hawaii is a wonderful place to visit or spend time but I do not think living there full time would be everyone's cup of tea.

I do not agree with your students view that Thai use of the world farang is impolite. If a Thai wants to make the word farang into something impolite and derogatory they would normally use the phrase "farang keenok" which literally translates into farang bird shit .

What would be the reactions in your homecountry if thousends of more or less old, rich foreign man would come to your country and marry with more or less young, poor girls from your country?

How would people look at this?

I would welcome old rich foreign men that want to come to my homecountry to marry our poor young uneducated girls so we could help reduce our welfare roles and help elevate some of the girls above trailer trash status so they could have a decent life. Lack of education whether it be in Thailand or any western country, is almost like a prison sentence of poverty which I cannot blame any girl for trying to escape. A girl in my country that is young and poor but also happens to be beautiful with some education has a big advantage since she will usually have no problem in marrying a rich old man of her own country.

Maybe people will learn a lesson from this about raising vicious animals. I'm amazed that the dogs haven't been shot already.

Although I agree the dogs should be put down, I think the parents should be jailed for their gross stupidity in not understanding the heavy responsibilities involved in keeping a guard dog. Having a guard dog in your house is not much different than keeping a loaded pistol laying around in the sense that they are normally very benign but can accidentally go off under the wrong circumstances. Guard dogs and accessible guns have a proper place but that place is never around small children or in the hands of responsible people that are not totally trained in their use.

I did not realize that so many TV members were so fluent in Thai that they could understand enough conversation to generalize that Thai people always talk about money. I do know that I have never heard any of our Thai friends that we socialize with (who all speak English) talk about money however I do hear them talk about alot about food which seems to be a very important subject with the ladies.

Farangs in Thailand...................

95% Low Class Tralier Trash types.....

2.5% able to support themselves by whatever maens thay can, including illegal activities.............

2.5% have enough money earnt the right way, Investments etc etc...............

Look guys, do you know of one really famous rich guy that has a Thai wife ?

I don't. Apart from me.

Thaksin is famous and rich .... and has a Thai wife.

'

Thaksin's wife is proof that 'money cannot buy everything' !

Since joining Thaivisa, I have learned that Americans have not cornered the market on being top bullshit artists but that the Brits and Aussies are also top contenders for that title. I have also learned that prejudice is still alive and well and that some farangs seem to enjoy making generalizations about Thailand and it culture that have very little basis in fact but are actually more indicative of the small segment of the population in Thailand within which that farang interacts.

Reading some of the posts from some of the guys that are so vehemently down on girls that prostitute themslelves for money makes me wonder if those guys have ever hired a lawyer ! I also have to wonder if those same guys would approve of their daughters marrying an attorney or a politician. If so then they must be some kind of double standard that I do not understand.

I wonder if Tito Ortiz (former UFC champ) really gives a sh*t that his current gf Jenna Jameson (multi-millionaire porn star) was a sex worker before he met her ! They travel and party with some of the most elite crowds in Hollywood so apparently alot of people really don't care about the degrading ways that some people have chosen to make a living as long as they got rich by doing it. I must admit that it is would not be my style of choosing a mate as I am not quite that open minded however I do find the subject of judging someone by what they did in the past rather than who they are now to be somewhat unfair especially to some of the girls that have had a very difficult life in Thailand due to lack of education and other hardships.

He barely hit the guy with his kick to the shoulder and wound up pushing him down. The most dangerous part of this incident would have been if the guy would have struck his head on the ground when he went down. The cop was lucky that a strong wind did not blow the guy over before he had a chance to take him out. Staying reasonably sober is probly a much safer way for farangs to conduct themselves in public.

My wife would only be jealous of my time spent on my computer if I had a girlfriend sitting on my lap. No problem really as my wife usually spends a few hours everyday on the computer doing business which is normally at the same time that I am on the computer playing. She works while I play which is as it should be!

Security bars in Thailand are definitely the way to go however would suggest that you consider using security bars with inside safety release mechanisms in any areas that you could get trapped by fire in the house (especially if you have children). People die by getting trapped inside their house by fire and not having openable from the inside bars. Here in California safety releases in security bars are now mandated by current building codes if installed in homes .

Know any places in bangkok that sell them jetjock?

I mean the safety mechanisms.

Monkey--The safety release safety system is sometimes built into the security bars that you buy but also retrofit safety release kits are available for standard bars. Unfortunately I do not know if or where the safety type bars or the retro-kits would be able to be purchased in Thailand. FYI, here is a little blurb about security bars that I copied off the internet that might be helpful:

Security Bars, also called Burglar Bars or Window Bars, which are placed over windows, have become common in many cities around the country as crime increases. It seems that many people are more afraid of being victims of crime than of being victims of a fire. The very bars they live behind for protection are the same ones that create an escape barrier and trap them, preventing them from escaping the toxic fumes of smoke and the heat of fire. Fire rescue and EMS personnel often find themselves encountering these obstructions, some of which are permanently installed over windows and cannot be opened to allow escape in case of an emergency. These barriers must be overcome before any life safety can begin. Bars on windows can quickly become a death trap for firefighters on the inside as well. Smoke detectors, fire alarms, carbon monoxide detectors are all part of a good fire safety plan, but don’t provide the total solution if the smoke and flames cannot be escaped.

Windows and doors with security bars should have quick-release devices to allow them to be opened immediately in an emergency. If the security bars on a home, especially on bedroom windows, are permanently fixed or do not have quick release devices, they should be retrofitted with an approved quick-release device. These devices operate from inside and allow the bars to be opened for emergency escape without compromising the security of your home. The quick-release devices should be easy to open without the use of a key, detailed knowledge, or great physical effort. Some states and cities have adopted building codes, which required that all dwellings leave some windows unbarred, to address this problem.

Security bars in Thailand are definitely the way to go however would suggest that you consider using security bars with inside safety release mechanisms in any areas that you could get trapped by fire in the house (especially if you have children). People die by getting trapped inside their house by fire and not having openable from the inside bars. Here in California safety releases in security bars are now mandated by current building codes if installed in homes .

It is an interesting question so not having any idea what her answer would be, I just asked my wife. She says that she was quite surprised that here in the US we cannot pay our bills such as utility, cell phone, etc. at an ATM machine or at a 7-11 store. Quite frankly I was surprised at her answer since I did not know that was a fairly common way to bills in Thailand however I must admit that I cannot think of any reason that I would want to pay my bills in that manner. The other thing was that tax is not included when you look at the price of something but instead added to the purchase price at the register.

Everyone has to set their own value on what their life and limbs are worth. I value mine highly but unlike Mac, I have not seen a bunch but I have seen enough to tell you that you will never see me on a motorbike in Bangkok. Regardless of the value you do put on your life, I can assure you that your fellow drivers in Bangkok will put much less of a value on it !

After reading that long dissertation by 'Allyt' I am still confused at to what category or classification that the male TV members that use female avatars or female screen names or write under the guise of being a woman would fall under ??

I just feel grateful to have GW Bush as my leader. I only wish a third term were possible.

We all know that beer is considered a bit low class so in keeping with the Pattaya's new attempt at cleaning up the cities image, perhaps they should close all the beer bars and replace them with wine tasting rooms. It would be OK to keep the girls but perhaps have them dress in a way more reminiscent of wine country atmosphere.