Meridian007

The DJ Kicks album by Thievery Corporation

Never tried ordering it online but I wish the KFC website would put the <deleted> phone number you're supposed to dial for delivery somewhere on their website.

1150 is the number for delivery.

I agree with you that Scoozi is quite good (I know an Italian guy in Cha Am that makes one MUCH better though), but when I'm just hungry and don't want to spend 500 baht on a pizza alone, I go for PC.

KFC now has an English form of their website, so now you can register and order online!

Enjoy!

Maybe he's planning on being Prime Minister again?

After all, a majority of Thais will vote for him again.

Why should a military Junta decide what's best for the country?

You should ask him that. I think it's come to the point where Thaksin is willing to get into bed with those he was formerly opposed to. This is a win at any cost measure, and a dangerous one at that.

If he thinks he can get in to the PM position using military connections without the military controlling him in the end, then he hasn't payed attention to Thai history and what happened to the PAD. I've said before that TRT and PAD are similar, with different backers. Now he's trying to bridge that gap as his personal power wanes.

Maybe he thinks he can become a "Dear leader"?

Wow, this is quite old, but I think it is a good indicator of the cultural disconnect that occasionally causes so much conflict between Thais and westerners. I think both sides have complex ways of using language to imply meaning in an alternative way from the normal, direct forms of speaking.

They say that if you understand the humour within a language, you understand the language. I think this is true because to understand the language deeply, you must also understand the culture behind it.

The problem of sarcasm here is that it is only recognised within certain contexts and relationships. If it is used in a general situation, it may be mis-construed as regular speech, and interpreted literally. We understand when someone is being sarcastic instead of literal in English because we instinctively "know" the cultural hooks that redefine the meaning in that situation. I think we have a wider range of situations and relationships where we can use sarcasm in western culture than in Thai culture, so when we use it here where it is not expected, it is not understood.

That's not why I responded however, I'm more interested in the examples that Teacup gave. I don't understand where some of these would be used (in what context), and I just don't understand some of them at all!

I think it is expressions such as these that give you the keys to really understand both a language and culture, so I'd love it if Teacup could explain some of them! (I've put some of the really difficult ones in bold font)

Ok I have a few....

tok-tang-kao-san = marrying into the money

pid-mia = to commit adultery, for a man

leuumm huu leuumm ta = wake up and see the truth

sen-phom-bung-pu-khao = the truth is right before your eyes

sao-sai-hai-ga-gin = to air dirty laundry in public

etcs....

-I think it's quicker to buy aspirin myself, instead of waiting to use my 30 bths health card.

-You're not a thai teenager, if you don't worship hellokitty or sanrio.

-Middle class does not exist, there is the rich and the poor only

-You know Thai people are in a foreign land when they have on 10 layers of clothing, hats, scarves and gloves, because winter is the only season that exists outside of Thailand

-when talking to each other one person always turns their back to the other

-why the girl would choose to wear white on a rainy day

-having an unmarried daughter is just like having a toilet in front of the house

-in any "Lookthoong lakorns", there's always got to be singing

-is my house a public park, so anyone can come and go freely?

- you want to get your hands on one of those fainting medication for the nose!!! – it will solve everything

-we are not afraid of car accident because we have many budda amulets on the dash board

-You're not a rich boy, unless the spoiler on your car looks like it was made by boeing, or the exhaust pipe is big enough for your head to fit in!!

- don't stop for any pedestrians if you don't want to get bump from the back

-you are not rich unless you go to school out of the country

etcs.......

These ones are just from me tho – exclusively

-when thais aruge in public, the bystander will leave them alone

- in thailand, we are more afraid of potholes than, speed bumps

Tesco for everyday stuff as their prices are good, but for fresh meat and vegetables I prefer Topps with an occasional drop-in to Paragon gourmet market for any Farang stuff that can't be found elsewhere.

Carrefour and BigC might be better for appliances, but there are other smaller stores that beat them in that category.

Yes, most of these things are available here (at a higher price, but that's to be expected), but there are a couple things that I still prefer from home. Anything cotton (bed sheets, underwear, socks, etc.), and Crest toothpaste (I can't stand Colgate).

I agree with Insight. Yawn.

I guess the reds and yellows have lost their ability to inflame, now they only annoy.

About time...

What Thai band is it that sounds like Weezer? I listen to LoSo, Potato, and Big Ass when I'm listening to Thai stuff.

Until they put down their guns, they shouldn't be listened to.

I think the people these groups want to help don't have guns. Heck, they don't have food or healthy lives either! They should die because they are the same general religion as some terrorists (whose views they don't share)? Wow, nice showing of humanity here...

whats written in the Quran and the Hadiths looks very clear to me

So is the Bible if you look at it that way...

Okay, I'm not Muslim (I'm quite happily Buddhist, thank you), but this is part of the problem that Orac asked you about. Not all sects of Islam are crazy, infidel-killing soldiers. Check out information on Sunni versus Shia especially.

As well, Jihad does not always mean war. In its purist sense, it means a personal struggle to embody the spiritual precepts outlined in the Quran. It can then extend to missionary work, but the violent part has only been taken on by a small minority of Muslims who read the Quran too narrowly and literally. This fundamentalism gets the most news because of media sensationalism, but it does not typify all Muslims.

If you are Christian, should I assume that you believe and act like Benny Hinn? Hopefully not, because he is a Fundamentalist Christian with no more of a grasp on reality than Bin Laden.

If we could stop stereotyping everyone for a minute, maybe things wouldn't be so dire!

****Edit because I forgot some stuff!****

As to the problem of blame, most of these people are just poor villagers who have no say in the lives of the political and religious leaders. Their only power is grassroots action, which I'm not surprised has been minimal (but not non-existent) in light of the treatment they get from the rest of the world. The only support they get in the world is usually from the fundamentalist nutjobs that want to turn them into frontline soldiers.

If these aid meetings work, and help can be given from east and west, maybe we'd see a difference (and more support against the form of Jihad you're talking about) since most Muslims do not agree with the actions of the extremist minority.

" with the launch of the "War on Terror" I beg to differ, what about " The Jihad on America" launch years before ?

You should read the article before going off in a fury of nationalist/racist hate.

With the launch of the 'War on Terror', these conflicts have been presented and received as part and parcel of the efforts against terrorism and hardline Islamism.

It's talking about how these human rights issues have been brought to light by the actions of extremism in the Islamic community (terrorism). These are the kind of things that might be able to fix this conflict. If we (the non-muslim world) focus on helping the moderate populations of Muslims, they realize that all the rest of us aren't out to kill them because of their religion. Both sides can be tolerant of each other's religion, but when all people in a religion are looked down upon, forgotten, and left to die, I can see how they'd have reason to hate us. It's a vicious circle that has to be stopped somewhere.

easiest solution is just to drop a new hard disk in it and keep the old one.

If you're really worried, this is your best option. Even if they go snooping because of your clean install, you're fine because there is and never has been any data (on the new hd) for them to find.

But be careful if you take it to Pantip for them to change. (I assume you can't do this yourself if you don't know about data removal) If you have any "personal" videos, the boys at Pantip will be sure to find them, and possibly upload them to the net. It's best to get a friend to change the drive.

I don't think this is meant to be a slap in the face to those who are living on 500 baht/month, nor is it even directed at them. It's meant to be a wake-up to those who make 500,000 baht/month, to remind them that Thailand is supposed to be "caring and sharing". These big boys need to learn to live in a sufficient manner, and spread out the extra to the rest of Thailand. I think that is what he was trying to imply.

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Animatic: The same thing happened to me! I grew up learning English and French (Canada is supposed to be bilingual), and I actually was bilingual 15 years ago when I was living in Ottawa, but I haven't used my French since then. Since I've been learning Thai, my French has become thai-ified in that half the sentence is in French, half in Thai! When I was in Paris last year it was embarrassing to realise that I couldn't be understood anymore.

Maybe there is some lingual connection between French and Thai? Or it shows that language learning pushes out one language when learning another? (at least for those of us that aren't linguaphiles! )

Well, I agree that the wine isn't very good yet, but I think that is because it is still in its infancy here. Some of the wineries have been operating for a while, and you're starting to see some consumable wines from them. Give them 10 or 20 years and it'll better.

I saw the development of Southern Ontario into a wine region. It took a long time, and while generally they still can't compete with the big name areas, some wineries have won many international awards, and we've become famous for our icewines.

If this show is about winery developments in new areas, it might be educational to look at Thailand and see what is happening here. I'm also curious if there is any attempt to make a product that is different from the rest of the market, in order to make a name for Thai wine.

Hopefully not! This seems to be a pretty big advertisement for him though... (I wonder how much he payed them?)

3 or 4 minutes from Makkasan to Phaya Thai, more like 20. I think you mean that the Phaya thai rail link station (the 8th and last station) is close to Phaya Thai BTS. In order to make that connection, one would need to take the local line.

The closest BTS to the Makassan station is Asoke. The MRT station Phetburi is a few 100 meters from Makkasan, I would be highly surprised if a underground walkway isn't provided in due time.

I think most people that live around downtown will probably take the local form of this new line rather than the express line after a while, as it is cheaper, only 15 minutes slower, and is (almost) directly connected with Phya Thai BTS station.

It is possible to walk to Makkasan station from the Petchaburi MRT station, but you better have a backpack! I'm sure they'll eventually put in an excessively long walkway like the one connecting the MRT with the Hua Lamphong train station.

I think you have them all covered, you've already suggested pretty much everything I can think of. Related to the food, you could take her fishing or squid catching, those might be interesting if she's into that. If she likes the beach, you could go para-sailing with her if any of the para-sailing companies have a partnered set-up.

Ummm, trying to think of anything else...

I'm not sure if this is still the case, but a couple of years ago I found out that Chatuchak Market has shipping offices that can ship anything (and I mean anything) out of the country without problems at a good price. It may not make it through your own country's customs though. If it is something that is valuable, make sure to get package tracking.

***Edit for extra info***

Kuuan: You should just pay the extra luggage fee if you are traveling anyway. It's much cheaper than shipping something. Check out the rates with the company you're flying with. This is how I'm slowly bringing my belongings from Canada back to Thailand. I always pack an extra suitcase in my big suitcase so that when I'm in Canada I can fill it, and just pay for extra luggage.

I'm no expert on mosquitoes (aside from being pestered by them my whole life), but I think the only places that don't have mosquitoes are the places that also don't have many plants or animals living there (Antarctica, any desert, etc). Therefore, if you want to live there, chances are that there will be mosquitoes.

Canada is a big place so I can only speak for Ontario. Mosquitoes are at their worst during the transition from spring to summer, and then summer to autumn (not as much). They are still around during the summer, but there aren't as many as these transition times (because of the higher moisture levels). Usually October is the last month for mosquitoes as we have at least one frost during that month which kills them off.

The early spring is also too cold for them, but you have to deal with blackflies then, which IMO are much worse.

In short, as other posters have said, mosquitoes like moist conditions within a certain temperature range. Thailand gives them the humidity they need, but they are most active during the morning and evening because of the temperature.

I also haven't seen anywhere here that I can get a reliable trailer hitch put on a car, or even somewhere that sells the hitch kits. I think that anyone living upcountry could use these (as soon as I move out of the big smoke, I plan to get one).

Removing your reliance on aircon is key to acclimatising. I'm from Canada, and I lived in Ottawa for almost a decade. Ottawa gets at least 2 weeks of -40 C weather each year, so you could say I was used to a cold environment.

When I came to Thailand I kept my aircon on all the time, and I was miserable when I went out. After two years I tried lowering my usage, now at three years I'm off it almost completely (I'll use it some nights for an hour before bed to remove some of the humidity, but it goes off before I'm asleep). I still sweat when I'm walking a lot outside, but not as much.

The biggest benefit was to my health. I used to get get sick almost every month in Canada, and spent most of the winter (6 months) in a constant state of illness. I caught a mild case of pneumonia in my undergrad years, and I think that was the beginning of this problem. It was reduced a bit when I first came to Thailand, but now that I rarely use my aircon, I only get sick once or twice a year. I think our bodies require a certain amount of humidity to work properly, and I wasn't getting that in Canada. I have to go home to visit next spring, and I'm worried that I'll get immediately sick!

I think the 2 on the left are the problem. The one on the right is so close to the house that it doesn't make that much of a difference. Once it grows it will provide shade for that part of the house as well. Replant the other two, and you're good to go!

Hmm, good to know about tabtim. I've never heard about that before. As I said, my experience with fish is rather recent. Do any of you know what the mercury levels are like in the fish here? I know that this is an issue at home, and that they say to stay away from any larger fish, because the mercury levels will be higher.

What kind of rabbit goes to Thailand and eats that sort of sh1t?

The tourist kind. I haven't eaten anything from Mcdonalds (aside from 1 order of their breakfast eggs a while ago) for around 10 years, but a lot of the tourists that come here would never try street food, or any Thai food that isn't almost exactly like their own cuisine. I don't presume to understand it, but I asked a colleague of mine why he doesn't eat Thai food, and he said that he didn't come here for the food, and that he doesn't trust Thai restaurants and their strange ideas of what food is. This narrow view is held by many tourists I'm afraid.

Personally, I prefer Thai cuisine to most western food, but I think a lot of the budget tourists here tend to be quite xenophobic and ignorant.

As to discounting McThai's estimates of a rebounding economy, if they want to spin things that way, we should let them. If enough big companies start saying "economic recovery", people start to believe them, they start to spend more, and the economy recovers. This is not a bad thing...

Fresh water Nile Tilapila (Tab Tim) are hard to beat,

I have to agree as well. I never really liked fish before I came to Thailand, now tabtim is one of my favourites!