tominbkk

As long as there are 50+ kids in a non aircon room and rote learning is the norm, nothing good will happen.

Rote learning when it comes to learning ones tables is not wrong, as a poster in their 70s all of my fellow school friends knew all of the tables every which way but since the rote system was thrown out I frequently see university students in England who cannot work out how much fare for 3 people @ 70 pence each and they are not alone.

Not all of the so called NEW systems are better than the old ways and a lot of the older people could leave the modern taught children for dead.

Of course there is a place for some rote learning activities, and I didn't say there wasn't. In certain math functions, in spelling and phonics, in some memorizing of important dates/people/places and in some scientific principles.

However, when rote learning is all that is done, there is little to no creativity or critical thinking going on. All rote learning in math, and no creative problem solving, all memorizing grammar points and no creative or argumentative writing, memorizing multiple choice answers for science and not learning how to utlizine the scientific method through self devised experiments, sole memorization of names/dates/people and not expressing one's opinions about history or society and how it has affected ones own life, this is what I am talking about.

When I said 'when rote learning is the norm', I wasn't totally throwing it out. But it cannot be the primary way to learn. Most Thai school rely heavily on rote learning. It is a matter of necessity. Creative learning and thinking is messy and individualistic and requires time and attention from the teacher. No way to do this with 50 kids in a room.

"Chaturon said he had learnt English as a student in Thailand for 16 years but had never had any real English conversation during that period."

Should get out more

I privately tutored many Middle and High School kids when I first arrived in Thailand. Most often I was the first person they ever had a 'real' conversation with in English. Nowadays most school provide some foreigners in the school for conversation classes. Back then not so much.

These days it's pretty rare..they must really be using ancient software to make their site.

With the new TAT rice giveaway for tourists, they need more!

All the ones for sale premade are pretty yucky. So I make my own! Takes me about 2 minutes or less to put it together.

• 1 part Mayo (use Kraft or make your own)
• 1 part Hot Dog Relish (I like the Heinz brand)
• 1.5 parts tomato paste
• black pepper, garlic salt, herbs, etc.

Miix all ingredients together. Will be very pasty. Add water a spoon at a time until desired consistency.

When one 'part' equals a healthy tablespoon, it makes enough for about 3 salads (as long as you aren't glopping it on). Keeping it pasty it makes a nice secret sauce for burgers. Also makes a nice dip for fries or in my case cucumbers, celery and carrots.

The relish is a tad sweet (but not as sweet as 'sweet relish'), but if you use relish without any sugar it doesn't taste as good. That being said, the dressing when ready is very low sugar, and really not much fat as well.

Make a little at a time to keep it fresh. Might be nice with a little minced onions or green onions as well.

I would imagine you could use a greek yogurt to sub mayo.

Enjoy!

Where do you buy organic rice here? Or is it only for export?

In other words, stop complaining or off with your head!

I rarely go to McDonalds but I noticed that they have two ketchups: the 'American' one which is about 20% sugar and the 'Thai' one which is 60% sugar. I make my own that has 0% sugar!

That guy that shot his 'friend' in the Foodland parking lot in Thonglor is still walking around today. Filmed and clearly him. CCTV don't mean nothing if you have the money to make it go away.

That's pretty weird. Thanks for the tip!

Satisfaction is key!

OK, OK here it is. Its easy. I did it today. I went up the park to practice for tonight's doubles match. There were a small group of brown guys, drinking with another small group of dishevilled white guys. One of the brown brothers of whom, turned out to be a tennis coaching, lost generation, tribal elder from the scrub, who welcomed me into his tribe and gave me a free tennis lesson on the spot.

If you want to know about people and they're not 7'4" Russian refrigerators wearing suits and wrap around sunglasses, you go up to them and say "Hi Bro'. Whactha doin' man? and they'll most likely tell you." It is really, actually, that easy. You gotta do it with a bit of class mind you and remember how the Thais do it. Smiling a lot.

Unless you're working on Wall Street, most people are doing something good.

I actually might do that next time. They never look particularly aggressive or anything. I just don't usually go up to strangers. One thing is that they are all fit, and I find look like soccer players. I was wondering if they were playing for local soccer or futsal teams.

Good on you! I hate to see these young upstarts being too politically correct and accusing everyone of racism for just making an innocent comment. The best retort could have been "I have some black friends [meaning I'm not racist because I once talked to a black dude at uni].

When I went to High school I was bussed into the African American part of town (the ghetto really). It was a performing arts magnate school. 80% black, 10% asian, 10% white. I really loved it actually. Couple of sketchy episodes, outside the school waiting for my bus, but in the school it was quite harmonious. This was a couple years before crack entered the drug market, and the Bloods and Cryps made their way to my town. After that things kind of went to hell. I look back on my High school years as a great time in my life, my family was so afraid for me but I am the kind of guy that loves getting into interesting social configurations.

My work here has employees from about 15 nationalities, and families from 40 nationalities. I love it!

I always find that phrase "some of my best friends are ..." a bit weird. Hopefully I see beyond that kind of phraseology. As I get older I get more tolerant and curious.

So, tominbkk, just because you see a few black people around the area, they firstly must be from Africa and then because they must be from Africa, they must be up to something bad? Why is it that, when you see a few white people together walking around or sitting together talking in foodland or similar places, your mind doesn't instantly go in the same direction I.e these white people must be from Europe and up to something bad? All blacks are not Africans, just the same as all whites are not from Europe. I am a white man but from Africa, I have black friends who are from England and the US and yes, we all live around ram intra too. Some People's bigotry and paranoia is out of control these days. What are you doing on Ram intra and how are you managing to stay here?

I assume Africa. A couple times I have been sitting next to a group of them at a restaurant I enjoy and they are speaking in a tongue that is not English, nor European.

Where did I say that they were up to something bad? Stop putting words in my mouth. You totally misrepresented what I was saying.

You are very jumpy, and have come to many conclusions about what my post implies. As I said before, this is observational. I am curious about this groups' migration to Ramintra. Where 3 years ago there were no black people in this part of town, now there are many. Your well trained hyper politically correct brain won't even allow you to mention a person's skin color without being labelled a racist. This is a huge problem now in the States and other Western countries where you can't even mention the color of somebody's skin without being labelled a nazi. Ridiculous. By the way, my job puts me in contact and making relationships with people from virtually all over the world, and I love it.

I don't think twice about seeing white people in Foodland or Central or such, because they have been there the whole time I have been in Ramintra. If all of the sudden overnight there were groups of white people walking around in the area when just several months earlier there had been none I would be curious as well. It's all a curiosity about migration, observational.

I am neither a bigot nor paranoid. I am curious however.

I have lived in Ramintra for over ten years. I am a homeowner and a taxpayer of over 20 years in Thailand. And you? How have you contributed to the area?

a homeowner you say...interesting ...must be a condo sorry....

Yes, do like your parents do: watch endless hours of cheesy brainless soap operas every night. At least with social media they are interacting in some form.

My father in law made a comment about me always being on my iPad...I showed him that this is how I keep up on my news, stay in touch with friends, watch shows that I want to watch, read books, learn languages (Duolingo anyone?), play silly as well as thinking games, compose and record music, work, etc. That made him dizzy so he turned back around and with the rest of the family stared at the TV for the next three hours.

My real parents in the States aren't much better. They'll watch the evening news from 5-7 every night, hearing the same 10 stories 4-5 times each.

I won't bother you and your TV, so please don't bother me about my fun learning entertainment tool.

At least they are interacting with another human being.

Social skills you will never learn in cyber world.

How many people in the privacy of their own home sit down at a computer and immediately grow to be seven feet tall and invincible.

I would hardly call everyone staring at a tv for hours on end passively watching soap operas with infantile plots interacting.

I spend countless minutes watching Thai television struggling to unscramble the pixilated bodies of Thai actors and actresses whose blurred image reflects the existence of one of three possible scenarios: 1) imminent danger of attach from a weapon larger than a pin, 2) naughtily consuming a cigarette or less frequently 3) overwhelmed with pleasure by some despicable and visually banned body part. Most of the time I cannot tell what is going on and turn to something else, but it does require active participation by the viewer to decipher the action on the screen.

I live out in the Ramindra area and have noticed in the last couple years a massive influx of african gentlemen. a few years it would have seemed strange seeing a black person around these parts but now there are multiple groups of them I see daily. I know even writing a post makes it seem I have some racist tendencies but it's not that, just observational and curious. I just wonder what they are all doing out here in the suburbs, they don't seem to ever be working, just walking around, usually in groups. I know some play in the little futsal clubs but that can't be the only reason they are out here...

Yes, do like your parents do: watch endless hours of cheesy brainless soap operas every night. At least with social media they are interacting in some form.

My father in law made a comment about me always being on my iPad...I showed him that this is how I keep up on my news, stay in touch with friends, watch shows that I want to watch, read books, learn languages (Duolingo anyone?), play silly as well as thinking games, compose and record music, work, etc. That made him dizzy so he turned back around and with the rest of the family stared at the TV for the next three hours.

My real parents in the States aren't much better. They'll watch the evening news from 5-7 every night, hearing the same 10 stories 4-5 times each.

I won't bother you and your TV, so please don't bother me about my fun learning entertainment tool.

At least they are interacting with another human being.

Social skills you will never learn in cyber world.

How many people in the privacy of their own home sit down at a computer and immediately grow to be seven feet tall and invincible.

Are the blockades happening? The story seems to have disappeared from the media.

This is a parenting issue. Thais lack the concept of parenting.

What a sweeping generalization. I know plenty of caring and concerned Thai parents who raise their kids to be great people.

You are verging on racist with that comment.

Yes, do like your parents do: watch endless hours of cheesy brainless soap operas every night. At least with social media they are interacting in some form.

My father in law made a comment about me always being on my iPad...I showed him that this is how I keep up on my news, stay in touch with friends, watch shows that I want to watch, read books, learn languages (Duolingo anyone?), play silly as well as thinking games, compose and record music, work, etc. That made him dizzy so he turned back around and with the rest of the family stared at the TV for the next three hours.

My real parents in the States aren't much better. They'll watch the evening news from 5-7 every night, hearing the same 10 stories 4-5 times each.

I won't bother you and your TV, so please don't bother me about my fun learning entertainment tool.

When we were having our house built, we had our own inspectors come out every 4-5 days to see what was up. Kept everyone honest!