padfoot

All young generations rebel in some way. This is part of it. Who knows what we will see in another ten years.

Livinginexile, congrats on your time. Don't think of it as the rest of your life; do it one day at a time. I am coming up on 15 years. The bottom line is: I don't drink one day at a time. No matter what happens, I will not drink today. When I get up tomorrow, I start over. Good luck man. What you're doing is not easy, but it gets easier. I've found life to be much better sober.

B2S in Central World will have. I bought packaging tape in there yesterday and saw masking tape.

Maigo6,

Thanks for your post and congratulations. That's really cool what you have done. I do appreciate the positive posts. You have a very positive attitude. May your future be as bright as your past.

I have just finished a book titled "The Gospel of Father Joe Revolutions and Revelations in the Slums of Bangkok" by Greg Barrett. It is the story of Father Joe Maier and the Mercy Centre in Bangkok. It is one of the most extraordinary and moving books I have ever read. Joe Maier works with the truly needy, with incredible results. He is an inspiration. I highly recommend this book to all. The children born with HIV, the orphans,the preschoolers, the families living in abject poverty and the results that are achieved make for an inspiring story. I hope some will pick up this book and learn from it.

It just might be a year from now at the age of 61. My first trip I was 19. I've had three others in the last two years.

I don't think was is rude by not speaking fluent Thai. I define fluent as university level, being able to get a degree at a Thai university. It is courteous to make an attempt to learn the language. Only speaking English limits one's opportunities and experiences. On the other side of the coin, some people have a natural ability to learn languages. While for others it is a hopeless task. Another thing, for me, I would like to understand what the people around me are saying.

You can ignore your cancer; I'm sure it will never enter your mind again. Like you say, you know will not die of cancer. Remember the brachy therapy(radiation seeds) is day surgery. The prostrate cancer is not what kills you, by then the cancer will have spread to all your neighboring organs. It is not a pretty, quiet death. Myself, I enjoy life, and want to live a long time. I believe the best years of my life lay ahead. Good luck to you, what ever decision you make.

In my home state, Washington, if you are not a state resident you pay more for: camping fees, fishing and hunting licenses, university and college tuition, the major stadiums are partially funded by an extra motel and hotel tax (aimed at tourists), and there are many tourist attractions that locals don't patronize because they are so overpriced. They have no elephant shows here so I don't have an exact comparison to make.

I've talked to many expats about living in LOS. Most of them seemed very happy, but I was surprised how strong the feelings where for those who didn't like it. Some of the best advice I received about moving to Thailand was to leave yourself an out and try a three to six month stay before actually moving. I also believe some people will be unhappy regardless of their circumstances.

I will give a ditto to Karlssens. I had a great steak there my last trip. It was recommended by the owner of the hotel I stayed at.

Living here in the states, waiting for my next trip to Thailand, I usually list to Live 365 Thai broadcast.

Six and a half years ago I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. I was 53 and the cancer was caught at an early stage. I had the brachy therapy, radiation seeds. I have been cancer free since then. I had few problems in the first few months with how often I urinated, but since then I have had no problems. I have also maintained an active sex life: which is important to me. I feel I was lucky to catch this early. I have no regrets with treatment option I chose. I talked to several doctors and many people who had been through many different kinds of cancer. I find that I have a new perspective on life. I do appreciate it more than I use to, much more. I have met several men who went through the seed therapy in their early fifties, like I did, and they are all happy with the results.

Let's not put China on a pedestal. They did allow foreign aid but very few workers, only those with very specialized skills. Now it is no workers, in fact reporters are now banned from the cities with the crushed schools. Thailand did allow aid and workers in after the Tsunami, though after three months they did want most of the workers out. To compare that with what just recently happened in Burma is not being fare. Cuba offered to send medical teams to the U.S. after hurricane Katrina and the U.S. refused.

I don't live in Thailand, but I plan on making a six month practice run starting in September. I say more power to the guy. At the same time I don't believe I could live that way. I also believe that how one lives, no matter where it is, evolves over time. I would not want to stay the same all my life. The Thais that I have met here all maintain some of their culture, to varying degrees. Including those who are naturalized citizens. There is a huge Thai Buddhist temple here, it hosts many functions and all the monks are from Thailand.

Thaddeus has it right. We would be extinct.

Thanks for the info. That is quite a bit out of my price range. Also, I'm not sure I want to deal with that university pressure again in life. In retirement I don't need that.

It is not the cheapest solution and only a few students manage to follow their courses until the end. But if you've the money I would go to Chulalongkorn Univesity. If you're on a lower budget I would go to one of the language schools with union based program: piammirt, AAA language school, unity, nisa, ....

Everything depends on your budget and on how serious you're about studying Thai.

There's a thread about the best language school in the stickies.

Do you have any more information on that course at Chulalongkorn University? Such as the cost, how large are the classes, are the on the semester system? Thanks.

I have used the same taxi driver my last two trips in Bangkok. We have gone to many places outside of town and I pay him for those. All the trips in town he doesn't charge me for, though I do use the skytrain or subway for most trips. When I leave I give him a 500 baht tip and my skytrain card, with trips left, for his son to use. He is a good man and we have had many talks; I have learned much about Thailand from him.

Bagwan, sorry about that; I intended that for rocky.

They need a coat hanger.

Attended a Thai language course at the Pattaya School of Languages and Computers. This institute is located on the left side of Pattaya Klang some 200 meters from Carrefour (in the Sukhumvith Road direction). Was very happy with the result. Their best teacher is Khun Suthida.

how much do they charge and how many hours is each course ?

do they have a website ?

try picpattaya.com

Bagwan, I'm sorry to hear of your cancer. I went through that about 6 1/2 years ago. I did the radiation seed therapy and have been cancer free since then. My last PSA was negligible and I don't go back for another check for a year. I know several other men who have been through the same thing and they are cancer free. You are lucky in that you found this early. The earlier it is discovered the better. I was fortunate in that aspect, also in having one of the men who invented this treatment doing the surgery. My best wishes to you as you go through your cancer treatment.

Yes, Chiang Mai is worth a visit. I have been there and will be back. It is not a place for the go-go bars. But there is much to do and see. There is a lot of good food, many temples and plenty of out of town sites to see. Like every place I've been in Thailand, I enjoyed it. It is not like Bangkok, Pattaya or Phuket, but that is why I like traveling to different parts of the country.

Thanks again.