midasthailand

Did you know that 'hoohah' has a different meaning in Oz ?

No. Please enlighten me.

u're a gem!! thanks very very much...appreciate it!!!

I hope your friend got away OK.

i'm sending a friend off (returning to thailand) in a couple of hours...if anyone can help in the next 2 hours, i'd appreciate it heaps. wanna say "Have a safe flight."

THANKS.

Try - Kor Hai Bin Plortpai

Last in Bangrs late last year, coming soon.

Has there been any station past On Nut, opened as yet?

No, the construction seems to be progressing well, I believe they are expecting to open the line in December 08.

Stages of acceptance: avoidance. denial. anxiety. anger. bargaining. sadness. acceptance.

It seems he has passed the anger stage and now onto the bargaining stage.

I suspect it will finally dawn on him that you cant reserve a seat in this shop, then the GOM will undergo the sadness stage and become a SOM.

Som Num Na!

OK, I'm confused. Will the real author please stand up? Is Mahtin a pseudonym for Andrew Hicks or is this person trying to pass him/herself (feminist) off as the author? HELP???

No, I am not Andrew, I just admire his work, and my Thai is from Khon Kaen.

Sorry about that, I re-read your post and realised that you had only added one line at the bottom of A post by Andrew that was not bounded by the quote box, hence my confusion. I assume you have a Thai friend from Khon Kaen?

OK, I'm confused. Will the real author please stand up? Is Mahtin a pseudonym for Andrew Hicks or is this person trying to pass him/herself (feminist) off as the author? HELP???

I was just wondering if anybody had read the new book by Andrew Hicks yet? It's called 'My Thai and I' and is meant to be in shops already. I thought his last book,'Thai Girl' was a good read. I hear this one is a sort of auto-biographical.

Thanks for the mention, though it's a little premature to expect anyone to have read MY THAI GIRL AND I as it's only been in the shops about a week. Asia Books has done very well and it's in about 200 outlets country wide so I'm looking forward to the reviews.

As you may guess, MY THAI GIRL AND I is the story of how I met my wife Cat and how we set up home together in her remote village in Surin. I know nothing can be completely original but I think this one's a bit different as it's about five years of a friendship that's happily continuing today. My aim was not to just write about ourselves but about Isaan and rural life in general. This is where I am and it's what I have to write about.

I hope you enjoy the book and later can give some useful feedback.

As to my earlier novel "Thai Girl", reviewers have described it as 'the definitive novel about relations between Thais and foreigners' and as 'one of the biggest selling English language novels ever published in Thailand'. There's no Borat or Bean. It's just a simple story of an English lad trying to learn about Thailand through his friendship with a Thai beach masseuse. Fon is the sweet and modest 'Thai girl' who says 'no' and readers seem to like fall for her too.

I'm just preparing the seventh printing and today am going through a long contract with a film company in California which wants to option it for a movie.

I'm gratified that it has given pleasure to more than a few and from the feedback I get has meant a lot to some. Every author accepts that not everyone will like their book but I feel that in this instance I should come to the defence of "Thai Girl". Anonymous criticisms inflame my defensive instincts.

A few have criticised a passage in the book where my backpack characters sit on the beach and rant about Anglo-American foreign policy in the Middle East and 'the war on terror'. This dialogue was an elaboration of the opinions I have heard from young travellers many times. While the majority (though not all) of the characters are highly critical of Bush, this does not make me anti-American. The contrary is in fact the case.

I wonder though if these criticisms might occasionally have given offence?

Read the book and see what you think!!

Andrew

If your books are anywhere near as well constructed as your posts on TV then I will have to consider outlaying some of my hard earned dosh on them. Good post Mr Hicks!

Hopefully this is useful

http://www.thailandmapfree.com/central.html

Unfortunately it stops below Nakhon Sawan and well below where I live which is also considered (by some) Central Thailand.

However it is a good detailed map.

The same link has maps for North, South Etc.. in the same detail.

G'day forum members.

Do any of you know where I can buy Van Heusen business shirts in Bangkok? Had a look in most of the major stores but can't seem to track them down but I'm sure they're available.

Any guidance much appreciated

Ellis

I got a couple of nice ones at the Bangrak markets, next to Robinsons on Jaroengrung road (near BTS Saphaan Thaksin). They were 600 Baht each.

bit silly isn't it, talking down to people who have ANY point of view. Start your own website? What an idiotic comment

Fully in agreement with you. Don't know about your body of message which could be offensive but to respond by a moderator to you to start your own website is extremely childish and uncalled for. Just reply that your message as offensive would suffice. Power must have gone to the head of this moderator.

Judging by his/her Avatar, he/she is not a moderator. I don't always agree with the moderators but somebody has to do the job and they have their guidelines to work with, obviously the Real Estate thread fell outside those guidelines.

Invented or discovered?

Pedantic fellow aren't you Janda-no-joy, parhaps you should take a good look at some of your posts on the forum and re-assess who the bully really is? You sought out a village with no other Farangs to live in, when you are introduced to another Farang you have nothing to say to him, Jeez, you could at least have passed a few minutes chatting with the guy.

Looking at the frequency and time of your posts on this and other threads, it would appear that should Thai Visa close down you would have to find a new life.

Nearly all of your posts are critical / confrontational, you use unecessarily flowery language, when there are far simpler words to convey the same meaning and your spelling is pathetic, clearly then, you weren't an English teacher.

You seem to take everything posted literally! I am no authority on human nature, but I can recognise tongue-in-cheek posts when I see them, I am quite sure that no member of TV is seriously considering a physical confrontation with the UnSub. The OP could have chosen to ignore him and never mentioned the incident on TV but then that would have robbed those of us that are amused by the thread, of a few minutes of daily creative writing practise!

Just like television, if you don't like the show, change the station.

Cheers and beers. (stand by for incoming)

By the way....I can at the drop of a hat let off really loud and somewhat stinky farts after a can of good old SPC baked beans.

Thinking to have a can the night before a visit and then sitting next to him.

Yes Jandajoy, I know this is childish and highly immature, but I bet we have more fun watching cartoon network than you do.

My wife and I have both put reminders in our phones to log on and check the developments at 10 AM, I condone the proposed actions by TV members attending this AM and I do not think that putting this GOM in his place publicly is the wrong thing to do. Wish I were in Bangkok at the moment so that I too could attend the coffee shop and participate in some behaviour modification therapy on this bloke.

There are a few people on this forum that seem to set themselves up as the "morals police" to them I say, "lighten up" there is no harm in the actions proposed. Just maybe, the guy will take a long hard look at himself and realise what an A##hole he has been. Spare a though for the long suffering, poorly paid staff at the coffee shop, I'll bet the pri#k never leaves a tip either!

Studio 30m for rent Lumpiniville Condos, Sukhumvit 77 (Soi OnNut) 700m from Sukhumvit, BTS and Carrefour. New Studio Unit with seperate bathroom (with bath), balcony and kitchen. Nicely furnished, cool a/c, quality mattress, free satelite TV, direct telephone line (broadband possible) and access to gym. This LPN managed Condo has excellent security, pool, shops, parking, self serviced or serviced laundry, restaurants, DVD, bars, cafes, private gardens, Family mart etc. all in this quiet, self contained, well managed and popular development. All for 9,000 month, minimum 6 months rental period, will discount for one year. PM for details for urgent enquiries. Rented by farang owner, no agents please.

Man, I think you are under pricing your unit! I assume it is in one of the towers? I lived in the smaller blocks in building A and the rent for a studio there was 8,000 with no satellite TV or internet access. Should be at least 10,000. I'm sure you will get some interest as the complex is fantastic with a great Italian restaurant and good facilities. Good luck. (wish I was in the market, I'd snap it up).

Bully's Pub on Suk Road near Soi 4 has about 4 offerings...pretty good...with good fries... The meat actually tastes like a hamburger... I can personally vouch...

The Landmark Hotel cafe nearby has been reported to have a good burger and fries...next on my list to try... Same good reports about the Nana Hotel coffee shop... but yet to get there for burger time!

I highly recommend the burger at the Landmark, quite possibly the best burger I've had anywhere in the world, I've been there several times and taken friends there just to try the hamburger! On each occasion the quality has been repeated, the burger comes with your choice of swiss/cheddar/blue cheese, mushrooms, bacon and onion, it is served with a large basket of fries and a side dish of coleslaw. It is not cheap (320 baht if memory serves), but it is delicious when eaten accompanied by a couple of frosty cold beers. All that have tried it have returned for more.

Seriously though Guesthouse, I think your suggestion has some merit. I often glance at the stats under the Avatar to see how many posts someone has ( a rough guide to that persons experience / credibility), if the moderators were to include a statistic that indicated how often that person had trolled/flamed etc.. it would, in my view be a useful indicator as to their character.

I agree with 50% of the posts above.

I agree with 66.6% of the posts above.

I watched a news show in Australia two or three years ago, where a reporter, armed with a map of the world, with Australia labelled as Iraq and a few other erroneously labelled countries, talked to the "man on the street" in some part of the US and asked whether they thought Iraq was a big problem, he then asked them to point to Iraq on the map of the world. Of the fifteen or so people we were shown on the program only one pointed to the middle east, the rest of them pointed at Australia.

It was very funny, if not a little disturbing. youtube link

Thanks for posting that, I spent the next hour watching the rest of the videos, I particularly liked the Chasers war skit where the reporter convinced Americans that Mount Rushmore was in Brisbane and the great wall of China was just outside Darwin, the Eiffel Tower was in Melbourne, the leaning tower of Pisa was in Perth and the Taj Mahal was in Adelaide....... Unbelievable!!!

Quote "I did some research on this for my ethnography paper and here's my list of what some fairly educated people living in the USA/its territories usually think of when Thailand is mentioned and they already know about Thailand:"

I watched a news show in Australia two or three years ago, where a reporter, armed with a map of the world, with Australia labelled as Iraq and a few other erroneously labelled countries, talked to the "man on the street" in some part of the US and asked whether they thought Iraq was a big problem, he then asked them to point to Iraq on the map of the world. Of the fifteen or so people we were shown on the program only one pointed to the middle east, the rest of them pointed at Australia.

Looking at your list of responses, you must have interviewed the same people. If your definition of educated is the ability to differentiate between Taiwan and Thailand then I guess well educated is the ability to differentiate between Austria and Australia!

Came up in another post but I thought it was a bit off topic.....

What efforts HAVE you made to learn Thai?

How far have you got?

The U.S. State Department's Foreign Service Institute long ago developed a scale for relative fluency is spoken and writted languages, it's copied below, along with my Q&D (that's "Quick & Dirty") redifinition of it below it.

FYI, I did test at S-2+ at one time lo these many years ago in Lao and same in Thai about 1979.

Mac

FSI Language Scale

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ILR_or_Foreig...bility_measures

ILR Level 1 - Elementary proficiency

Elementary proficiency is the first level in the scale. This level is sometimes referred to as S-1 or Level 1. A person at this level is described as follows:

able to satisfy routine travel needs and minimum courtesy requirements

can ask and answer questions on very familiar topics; within the scope of very limited language experience

can understand simple questions and statements, allowing for slowed speech, repetition or paraphrase

has a speaking vocabulary which is inadequate to express anything but the most elementary needs; makes frequent errors in pronunciation and grammar, but can be understood by a native speaker used to dealing with foreigners attempting to speak the language

while topics which are "very familiar" and elementary needs vary considerably from individual to individual, any person at the S-1 level should be able to order a simple meal, ask for shelter or lodging, ask and give simple directions, make purchases, and tell time.

[edit]

ILR Level 2 - Limited working proficiency

Limited working proficiency is the second level in the scale. This level is sometimes referred to as S-2 or level 2. A person at this level is described as follows:

able to satisfy routine social demands and limited work requirements

can handle with confidence, but not with facility, most social situations including introductions and casual conversations about current events, as well as work, family, and autobiographical information

can handle limited work requirements, needing help in handling any complications or difficulties; can get the gist of most conversations on non-technical subjects (i.e. topics which require no specialized knowledge), and has a speaking vocabulary sufficient to respond simply with some circumlocutions

has an accent which, though often quite faulty, is intelligible

can usually handle elementary constructions quite accurately but does not have thorough or confident control of the grammar.

[edit]

ILR Level 3 - Professional working proficiency

Professional working proficiency is the third level in the scale. This level is sometimes referred to as S-3 or Level 3. S-3 is what is usually used to measure how many people in the world know a given language. A person at this level is described as follows:

able to speak the language with sufficient structural accuracy and vocabulary to participate effectively in most formal and informal conversations on practical, social, and professional topics

can discuss particular interests and special fields of competence with reasonable ease

has comprehension which is quite complete for a normal rate of speech

has a general vocabulary which is broad enough that he or she rarely has to grope for a word

has an accent which may be obviously foreign; has a good control of grammar; and whose errors virtually never interfere with understanding and rarely disturb the native speaker.

[edit]

ILR Level 4 - Full professional proficiency

Full professional proficiency is the fourth level in the scale. This level is sometimes referred to as S-4 or level 4. A person at this level is described as follows:

able to use the language fluently and accurately on all levels normally pertinent to professional needs

can understand and participate in any conversations within the range of own personal and professional experience with a high degree of fluency and precision of vocabulary

would rarely be taken for a native speaker, but can respond appropriately even in unfamiliar situations

makes only quite rare and unpatterned errors of pronunciation and grammar

can handle informal interpreting from and into the language.

[edit]

ILR Level 5 - Native or bilingual proficiency

Native or bilingual proficiency is the fifth level in the scale. This level is sometimes referred to as S-5 or level 5. A person at this level is described as follows:

has a speaking proficiency equivalent to that of an educated native speaker

has complete fluency in the language, such that speech on all levels is fully accepted by educated native speakers in all of its features, including breadth of vocabulary and idiom, colloquialisms, and pertinent cultural references.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Level 1, Able to get into trouble

Level 2, Able to get out of trouble

Level 3, Would not have gotten into trouble in the first place

Levels 4 & 5, Unatainable for us normal beings

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Based on this scale I would fall somewhere between 4 and 5, but there is a vast difference between the two levels.

My mother togue is English.....I'm fluent but I certainly don't know it all.....that is to state the "bleedin' obvious"...especially when referring to fluency in a foreign tongue.

I take you levels are defined by ..UN? Australian Military? or something like that?

No idea Wilko. I think it's internationally used that level 5 is native speaker.

Came up in another post but I thought it was a bit off topic.....

What efforts HAVE you made to learn Thai?

How far have you got?

Given the attitude of some posters in the "other thread" one needs thick skin to post on this thread. Apparently if you profess to be fluent in Thai on TV you are blowing your own trumpet. Unfortunately I never took music lessons and am unable to play. So for the edification of those interested here goes;

Native speaker being level five, graduation standard where I learned Thai, at the Australian Defence Force school of languages was 2+ for speaking, reading, writing and listening and 2 for translating and interpreting.

The definitions for each are as follows:

Speaking - Can express narrative and state and support unembellished opinion on general military and social topics, eg express and support an opinion about a current issue of general interest. Interacts by using paragraphs of complex sentences in the most common formal and informal styles of the TL standard variety, vocabulary is broad, though high frequency.

Listening - Supported by suitable references, can process live or recorded monologues and conversations that comprise narrative and unembellished opinion, on general military and social topics, eg processes the most essential points in sequentially structured reportage that is designed for a general audience, or processes a conversation about an issue of current interest to the general public. Texts comprise paragraphs of complex sentences in the most common formal and informal styles of the TL standard variety.

Reading - Supported by suitable references, can process hand written and typed texts that comprise simple reported data about concrete matters, on everyday military and social topics. Completes tasks that relate to basic monitoring and debriefing, eg process the description of an event or incident. Texts comprise collection of common, complex standard variety TL sentences extending to paragraph level.

Writing - Supported by suitable references can express simple reported data about concrete matters, on everyday military and social topics. Completes tasks requiring the composition of brief accounts and/or the basic communication of ideas, eg to write a brief account of an event or incident, or write a brief biographical report, Uses a brief collection of common, complex, stndard variety TL sentences extending to paragraph level.

Translating (TL-E and E-TL) - Can complete military and social translating tasks by transferring unembellished reports, eg to translate a newspaper report designed for a general audience. Translations are recognisably foreign at discrete points but in a form appropriate to the immediate needs of the client. Texts comprise paragraphs of the standard variety on familiar topics. Translates into the receptor language at a rate of 200-220 words (or an ideogrammatic equivalent) per hour.

Interpreting is tested along the same lines using a Thai native speaker. Note TL = Target Language

At graduation an Advanced Diploma of Thai Language is awarded and the graduate is classed as an Intermediate Thai linguist

Following graduation I was posted to the office of the Defence Attache at the Embassy in Bangkok where I worked for three years and hopefully improved my Thai. I then spent five months with the Royal Thai Army in East Timor where I was the only Farang with 1,600 Thais.

Following my stint in East Timor I was required to undergo re-qualification to continue to recieve linguist allowance. I was very pleased to be re-qualified at the Advanced Thai linguist level, both because it meant a larger allowance and because I had improved my level of Thai without further pain in the classroom. If anything my Thai has improved since then due to long periods in Thailand.

Am I fluent? In conversations on familiar subjects, yes. In conversations on unfamiliar subjects no, but I can hold my own. The beauty of learning another language is that you can never know it all, so every day there is an opportunity to learn something new.

Well. I don't agree, and I'll ignore your adjunct that I'm not to post if that is my position.

A certain amount of conflict is bound to manifest itself if people have different views. That is what makes a forum more interesting. If everyone had the same opinion this place would be boring.

I understand that you started this thread with good intentions, but, your post comes across as a bit patronizing. You've sort of set yourself up as the on-duty teacher in the playground.

There are moderators here that will sort things out if they get out of hand. As for Phuket being more conflict prone than other sub-forums, I suggest you read the Pattaya, or, Ko Samui sub-forums.

I think that maybe you were missing Don's point, Sir Burr. He was specifically talking about the way that some people on the forum cannot disagree without resorting to name calling and trading personal insults. There's nothing wrong with disagreement - it's healthy, and I agree that this would be a boring place if everyone had the same opinions, beliefs and views.

I think that he was reminding us to be respectful of other people when expressing an opposing opinion on this forum, just as most of us (I hope) would be if having a face-to-face conversation. Just because the medium for the conversation is different (online forum versus face-to-face) doesn't mean that the basic concepts of respect and civility don't apply, no matter how much disagreement there may be on the topic being debated.

Well said sir.

I am not going to get into a p-ssing contest with you Younghusband! I speak, read and write Thai fluently. Having been trained at the Australian Defence School of Languages, spent three years at the Embassy in Bangkok and five months as the only farang with 1,600 Thai army personnel in East Timor I was required to converse in Thai 24/7. I have no problem being understood by all levels of Thai on the phone so if they do not understand me face to face it is usually because they have no experience of Thai speaking Farangs. You are a perfect example of someone who rushes to put crap on someone without knowing the facts and more than likely one of the "expats" the OP was referring to.

All done, good luck.