Elfin

....or a jet ski!

My 17 y/o stepson is heavily addicted to computer games. He would wait in his bedroom when he stayed with us,until I was asleep (10-11pm) and then sneak into the living room to play on my computer until 7-8am, then miss school. He would always have to resit his exams before the next term started, as he would do the same at his father's home. If I was on my computer for work, he would go out a find an internet cafe/bar and stay til dawn or later.

Now he is trying to get into uni, still heavily addicted. He doesn't smoke, drink, take drugs, or hang with gangs and has a steady girlfriend. I worry for his future, but he has missed a lot of his education, and my wife is not strict with him as he does not get into trouble.

Flew from the UK to BKK on Sunday last. Next to me were 4 lads who were off for a week on the razzle in Thailand. They were full of it, how much they were going to drink, what substances they were planning to smoke/ingest. I doubt if any warnings would have had any effect. One of them was so hyper that he kept bouncing up and down in his seat and shouting about what he was going to do,the cabin crew had to keep telling him to calm down. Anyone who has the sense to go online and book a flight should have the sense to be aware of the risks such behaviour entails. If they get into trouble well their problem.

Mind you it was the flight from hell - next to me was some bloke who kept on bullshitting for hours - amongst other things he was best mates with Julian Assange. In front was some tattooed clown who was going to punch someone -anyone-if he didn't get the aisle seat he wanted.In the end the Purser had to tell him that if he didn't shut up he would be first off the plane at Bangkok, in handcuffs!

A breeding licence is probably the only long term solution!

Which airline was this with, JAG?

Can you send it to YouKu-I can't get it here in the middle kingdom

Maybe if they are going to review/change things, they can look at the ridiculously low salary they pay Western teachers in Thailand (30K per month or less). How long has this been the standard rate of pay-12 years, 15 years????

My 3 y/o was switching my PC on and off continuously and now it is rooted!

Card wrote "I cannot find powder her that cleans the sinks etc.

Does she??

I know it is an honoury position, but is it formally recognised by the Australian government? Will the position be advertised?

It is something that I would stick my hand up to do.

Larry Cunningham should be proud of his commitment over the last 8 years!

"As long as it is track that you could put a high sped train on in the future." Quote Hellodolly

HD, from my experience in China, the HSR will need dedicated, elevated tracks with long, gradual curves, as others have said here. That will be yonks away, so they need to fix up/replace the existing rail infrastructure, and when/if the HSR gets built, the 2 will need to co-exist, as not every passenger will be able to afford or need the HSR and Thailand will still need freight trains/lines as well.

It was happening in Sydney some years ago. Most of the youth doing it were stoned apparently!

Now you will see every overhead bridge or road is now enveloped in wire fencing.

"Take two raw chicken breasts and put them in the jar along with some milk. Place it somewhere it will not be found, preferably somewhere warm."GROADIE 666

I also heard about someone in China who put meat inside the curtain rods. The landlord could not keep tenants because of the smell, and she spent thousands on fumigating and cleaning costs, but could not get rid of the smell, only to sell the apartment at a loss to a relative of the original tenant!

I have been through Chiang Rai many times on my way to Mae Sai, and I really like it (though I have only stopped over for an hour at most). Pomchop sums it up well as a desirable place to live. If I could get a good job there. I would rather move the family there than live in CM.

I have never met you but I am Big Bill in another forum, so from one to another, good luck to you and Flower!

We have flown Thai economy several times with our child. When she was a baby, we always got bassinette seats, and when she was a toddler, we got window bulkhead seats so I had leg room, and the bub could play on the floor. The staff were always wonderful, both on the ground and in the air.

As for spitting, the Chinese believe it is unhealthy to have gunk in your lungs, so they cough it up and spit it out. They laugh at us for spitting the gunk into a hankie or tissue then putting it back into our pockets. Many Chinese are poor, so they do not buy tissues, or if they have money, they are not in the habit of using tissues or putting anything in rubbish bins.

I believe emptying the bowels daily is good for one's health. Don't want to get constipated. I would considered doing so in the street or middle of supermarket a trifle impolite

ha ha! The kids have big splits in the back of their pants and no diapers, and their parents/grandparents squat them on the footpath for them to do #1 AND #2. I often see adult men pissing up against the wall, which saves them 2 mao at a public toilet. Occasionally I see the evidence of a big human crap on the footpath or in the gutter:sick:

I went to Kunming and Li Chiang etc.. I see the opposite. The place is very clean no spitting and no bicycles.

I lived in Kunming for 2/12 years and saw lots of it. Maybe Kunming has changed.......

In China,pedestrians are at the bottom of the pecking order, even if you are a foreigner/western/laowai. They must give way to bikes and scooters, who must give way to cars and so on. A pedestrian crossing means nothing (except a target), as does a red light most of the time, so when in China, you have to give up all western ideas, that the traffic is going to stop for you.

As for spitting, the Chinese believe it is unhealthy to have gunk in your lungs, so they cough it up and spit it out. They laugh at us for spitting the gunk into a hankie or tissue then putting it back into our pockets. Many Chinese are poor, so they do not buy tissues, or if they have money, they are not in the habit of using tissues or putting anything in rubbish bins.

The traffic drives on the US/European side of the road in China, so they must have assumed Thailand was the same. I doubt if they had international licenses either, as the Chinese think their driver's/rider's licenses are good in any country (<deleted>?).

And finally the Chinese tourists wandering down the middle of the road like brown's cows is normal here in China, as the footpaths are so busy or full of electric bikes and scooters, or so badly broken up they are dangerous to walk on. They are tone deaf to horns, and a nudge will, as another TVer wrote, result in a compo payout. Best to give them a scare, but from experience, that doesn't always mean that they will actually LEARN anything from the experience.

Has anyone asked Bernie yet about a different location to Bangkok? If Bernie wants Bangkok, then it IS Bangkok or nothing!

I am in Australia at the moment.Cigarettes are $18 a pack.What are they in Mara Sarakham $3.If they go up to much I will not return.Also cold here but if it to expensive I will not return I will tough it out in Australia,freezing,until I go to the Great Temple.

Is that $18 for how many in the pack, Mickjin? I quit smoking in 2004 and left Oz in 2005. I think they were $13 for a pack of 40 back then.

I left CM in February to come back to China, partly because it was too expensive to live in CM, and the wages for a teacher were too low there. It is much cheaper to live in China, and the wages are higher here than in Thailand.

They could hold it in mid-April, and the spectators could throw water at the passing cars.

Oz Mick, that is soooo funny mate!!

"I tried a similar one called Meadowlark or someting and it tasted pretty good and made from flower seeds so not unhealthy."

I think you mean good ol' Aussie Meadow Lea KRS1.

You oughta be....congratulated!

He was a great man, a great music talent, and an inspiration to our nation, both black and white.

He will be sorely missed.

R.I.P. Manadwuy..........

Don't forget the Aeroguard and aveagoodweegend!

I have flown with them a couple of times between Beijing and BKK with my wife and then baby. We got looked after pretty well probably because of a very cute baby, and it is only a 5 hour flight. Service was OK, if a bit cold. If you want another beer or a top-up of wine, you may get a snarl, but they will oblige. You basically get what you pay for, but I had no complaints, and they are a pretty safe airline now.

I get a 2cm student haircut and shave for 40 bahts every month. I am also a big tipper and give an additional 20 baht.

Oooh, you are a big tipper aren't you.

The mind boggles what you would cough up if you got full service.....

He gave a 50% tip already!