erikhs

oh come on..some of you guys make me depressed..

if you want to meet a university girl / educated, then why dont you go to that university.. join a language course, could even be THAI! be yourself, show some respect for her culture AND your own and do as "back home".. the female gender didnt magically change just cause you moved to thailand.. or figure out where these strange creatures go shopping, clubbing, eating etc.. perfectly possible

me, you, everybody has to bring somethin to the table, you cant just sit around waiting for the perfect girl to fall in your lap ( i know some will disagree )..

and i dont care at all, about the disgruntled, racist thais that like to creep onto the internet and try to convince themselves that THEIR kind of girl isnt interested in farangs.. being different is always interesting, but if all you can bring is a different skin color and a bit more money then off course not.

but to answer the op, would you really want to be with someone who only has thai friends? im looking for some interest in other cultures in a girl, same here same there..

I have been getting phone refill cards at 7-11 for a few years now. Of course, I do not speak Thai. I usually go in and ask, "Mee 1-2-call ha roi baht?" Last week I asked for 300 baht cards, and I needed two cards. For my second sentence, I said something like "sahm roi, song." Then we went back and forth three times, not communicating. Finally he sold me two 300-baht 1-2-call cards, and I left. I have no idea what went wrong. If I cannot even change my order from a single 500-baht card to two 300-baht cards, it is discouraging. After two years of swimming at the public pool, and I barely know how to offer a child a piggy-back ride, which in Mexico among Mayas took me about three days to learn to say "koo-chun." I started a brief introductory course recently, that only proved that Thai is an incredibly complex language for a native English speaker to learn. You probably need to spend a thousand intensive hours studying Thai before the light begins to turn on. I do not have that much patience.

Im no expert, but from my thai class i think your problem is that you didnt use a "classifier". Just like you would say "Id like a glass of water" in english there would be a classifier for phone cards, dont ask me what it is! So you would ask "DTAC saam roi, song xxxx".. Is this right?

Hey

I know this is the thai language forum but maybe some of you knows..

Is there anywhere in Bangkok I can study japanese at beginners level up to the The Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) /Nihongo Noryoku Shiken? Maybe an intensive study over 6 months?

Thank you

You have a lot of options. A lot of the language schools that teach Thai, teach Japanese. Piammitr Language School offers Japanese classes at a decent rate for about 2 hours a day. You could increase the intensity by taking classes at another school as well. But what is your aim? You say up to JLPT level. There are four JLPT levels. You will easily pass Level 4 if you get out of bed and attend the 2 hour classes a day for 6 months. With a lot of effort you could pass the Level 3. If you want to pass Level 2, that is virtually impossible, and if you want to pass Level 1 (12,000 words and 1250 chinese characters) then you are dreaming.

For anyone intermediate (passed Level 3 level) and above I would recommend visiting the Japan Foundation where they have a pic'n'mix selection courses: everything from Manga reading studies to drama/movie studies. They have specialist courses to pass the JLPT and they have a large library with a wide selection of test materials, CDs, and DVDs of Japanese movies.

Thanks Gaccha, the Japan Fundation sounds cool, im looking to complete level 3 as its the equivalent of Beginners Japanese A at the university i want to apply at.

So, now thats clear, do you have any idea how much the entire course would cost? Also, is there good oppoutunities to practise the language with japanese students at any of the schools or somewhere else?

Hey

I know this is the thai language forum but maybe some of you knows..

Is there anywhere in Bangkok I can study japanese at beginners level up to the The Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) /Nihongo Noryoku Shiken? Maybe an intensive study over 6 months?

Thank you

Dissatisfied taxidrivers?

Reading this thread i think many of you must be tourists. Why would you tip the taxidriver? Want to show off?

Locals sure dont do it. I can count the the times ive tipped taxidrivers the last 6 months on one hand and only if the guy did his job well and gives me the appropiate respect. This includes NOT asking if i want to go to massage, singing, begging, talking to me like a tourist. I just let the driver round up the small change no problem there.

Maybe some of you forget that thailand has a feudal society. Cab drivers, employees in 7-eleven and so on, should not treat you as equals and you should not either, doing so would be showing lack of respect or be confusing for thais.

Does your company spend a lot of time handling data? Do you handle large amounts of sales, performance or financial data? How much time do you use on manual entry or checkups? Flooded with excel spreadsheets? Would you rather spend your resources somewhere else?

If so, I might be able to help you! Any task big or small has my interest!

I have years of experience in data- control, quality analysis, distribution and automation.

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I have experience with applying statistical models as "filters", automating recurring tasks, gathering data from one source and producing the required output and designing complete models for analysis of data, all within the framework of Microsoft Office, so that accessibility is never an issue.

Anything that involves data in the everyday workplace I can relate to. My educational background is one of Finance and Economics, so I am familiar with the needs of firms from small to large.

In my experience there's often a big advantage in dealing specifically with these challenges, instead of allocating these tasks to someone not experienced. In the long run, a well thought out and structured data solution can save money and time.

I am available for full-time, part-time and freelance/contracted positions.

Please contact me for personal information, details and expected salary.

I'm moving out soon of my condo 1 bedroom 1 living room, wood floor, fully furnished 11.500 monthly, because I want to be closer to work (close to BTS).

So far the places ive been recommended in Victory Monument, Ekamai, Sathorn etc, is all of the studio tiled/plastic floor variety with one bed and no furniture.

Is it unrealistic to find something like what i had near BTS for under 10.000?

If you have an condo/appartment please contact me.

#1) As a starting point, I'd rate the following cities worse than Bangkok when it comes to traffic Jams....

Manila.

Yeah, i second that! I hear people and often tourists complain about thai-drivers and bangkok traffic, but compared to manila its no comparison.

Ive never come across worse drivers than in manila. They stop and go, fumble with the gears, cant keep a line and is generally shitty. Add to that the lack of traffic signals and youve got one hel_l of a mess. Also the only way into the main business district is a small road that is ALWAYS blocked up.

And somehow, you should think that all of this traffic would inspire someone to drive motobike taxis? Not so! Not a single one!

Yeah, traffic in Bangkok isnt that bad. At worst you can get a motocyc to take you anywhere for 100-150 baht if you need to.

But they really need to connect the Banglamphu area to the BTS/MRT somehow, but maybe the Kaosan taxi mafia has more power than you think

In bangkok for a week as of next Friday and am really after some Martial Arts books / biographies

Specifically Bruce Lee related ones, Bruce Lee : The Art of Expressing The Human Body esspecially, but any about him / by him would be great...

So if anyone has any they are done with and want to sell or know of a shop that sells them I'd love to hear about it. I am staying pretty close to the airport

For all english books go to the bookstore on 3'rd floor in Emporium (Phrom Pong BTS), cant remember the name, where you might find what youre looking for.

There is a very cool looking book on Muay Thai available in most bookstores, big size, many pictures, good quality paper.

This is Thailand after all, so while you might easily find Bruce Lee other places, i doubt youd find the Muay Thai book.

What's the best way to go about applying for jobs that are not advertised?

Is it better to actually be at the company in person and make friends with the receptionist, then drop of resume?

Does applications on email get read here? And should an application for a larger/multinational company be written in english or thai or both?

Thanks!

I think the reason you see so many farangs with dark(er) skinned girls is simply, that if youre a tourist the girls youll meet first will most likely be darker skinned. In 7'eleven, travel agents, all kinds of service industry has more darker skinned girls than other places, so obviously you'll connect this look with the pleasurable experiences youre hopefully having.

First time i got to Bangkok, few years ago at 21, each isaan or dark skinned girl looked pretty dam_n good to me.

Now as ive been here more times and is around pretty young girls every day , i more prefer lighter skinned girls. Dont get me wrong, i dont discriminate, if a girl is beatifull, she is beautifull regardless of skin color. Its the old story about how all europeans, indians, koreans, blacks look the same to the outsider. It takes some time to get "calibrated".

What it comes down to i think is basically that these girls are more approachable and flirty for the average guy, which in turn just gives more oppurtinities for farang-thai couples, simple math

However girls bleaching their skin or hiding behind huge umbrellas from the sun, is just ridicoulus.

That makes me think that theres a bigger negative social thing going on with being dark skinned than just looks.

I checked out the BJJ at BFC the other day and it was good practise, but im surprised that they charge 2500 baht pr. month just for BJJ

I looked at EMACs homepage which unfortunately was only in thai, but there it looks like its 1200 pr. month, is that right? Also is it possible to get a free practise session?

And last, is the instructions at the thai-japanese center only in thai or english?

yes, yes and thai

Update:

I went to the Thai-Japanese center and met up with the judo team. Seems i arrived to late for beginner practise which is Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from around 4 pm. Lots of other things going on there, including a massive aerobic exercise outside, not a bad place to meet local girls, id think

20 baht a year, all included is a very fair price also, but lack of english could be a problem.

As i said in the previous post, BFC didnt seem good value for money at 2500 baht/month, and the facilities werent all that great, but good acces if you live near skytrain.

I also visited the EMAC centre and liked it a lot, it seemed like the level there was significantly more advanced with more "belts" than BFC, and more traditional in terms of being more of a "dojo". 1200 baht a month is also reasonable. Free practise session. Could use an english update of their website though.

So for me its a choice between EMAC for BJJ or Thai-Japanese for Judo. Submissions or Ippon throws!

I checked out the BJJ at BFC the other day and it was good practise, but im surprised that they charge 2500 baht pr. month just for BJJ

I looked at EMACs homepage which unfortunately was only in thai, but there it looks like its 1200 pr. month, is that right? Also is it possible to get a free practise session?

And last, is the instructions at the thai-japanese center only in thai or english?

Hey,

Thanks for your replies!

Im a beginner in Judo, have only tried a few times, but i train muay thai regurlarly, so at least im in decent shape.

From what i understand most of these places you mention, is not really for beginners?

What about the BJJ class, for beginners also?

And second question, where can i buy a gi, and how much should it cost?

Thanks

I found this reasonable hotel with wifi at nana, but someone toldme its too sleazy. He does usually stay in very good places, so Im hoping his view is off. Anyone stayed in it?

Its an absolute dump, trust me, for something in the same price range, head to Federal Hotel, Suk 11, much better.

I'd like to train some Judo here in Bangkok, and found an older post, mentioning some places.

Does anyone have some updates on training times and location?

Also, has anyone heard about Judo training at Rangsit Campus, Thammasat?

Thanks!

Hi,

Can anyone recommend a place in the Patumwan area? Must be close to BTS or Skytrain and preferably with internet. In the range 5000 - 15000 BHT.

Theres seems to be quite a few at Ratchaprarop road, but they dont have webpage. Is this close to BTS? How's the area?

Thank you

Hi guys,

In short i will be in BKK for at least 6 months next year and will be studying in university in Banglamphu.

Im looking around for a place to live, but havent decided which part of town yet. I dont really want to stay around Banglamphu or across the river as i think the area is boring, but transport is an issue obviously.

I would like to be around the skytrain and new Bangkok, but im not sure if that would be to much hassle with transport everyday, and too expensive?

Where do you prefer to live and why? Any suggestions?

Thanks for your your replies guys, great post CB!

It seems you agree that 30 k is good money, so thats cool.

I guess i'll just have to do without a job then, i will probably manage, haha

Erik

Hi people!

I am currently considering studying the spring semester at CMU, which will also be the last courses for my bachelor degree in economics.

I was originally planning on going to Bangkok, but a friend pointed out that the cost of living, climate etc. in Chiang Mai was nicer, so ive checked it out, and i think its a safer bet at least economically.

My question is:

When and if I get accepted into CMU, then i will receive a student visa, and not a business/work one right?

Does this mean that ANY kind of work in Thailand is prohibitied?

I ask, because in my scandinavian country, its very usual for students to hold part-time jobs in related fields (for me finance, banking, data-analysis), which i also did.

I think it would be a great oppurtunity to get a part time job of maybe 10-20 hrs/week while i study, but is this even legal, and is there any such student/intern jobs, that pay at least SOMETHING? Or can you get any kind of research/testing jobs over the internet?

I have quite a lot of skill and experience back here, but of course that might not mean anything in Thailand.

On a side note, the government subsidaries that i would receive would be something like 28-30 K baht a month. Would this be a comfortable budget for a student?

Thanks..

Cheers,

Erik