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WinnieTheKhwai
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Posts posted by WinnieTheKhwai
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What heroic movement has corrupt convicted fugitive criminal Thaksin NOT been compared to? [...] Don't forget Black Songkran, those are the kinds of violent thugs the government is dealing with.
Lets be objective here, admit the faults from both sides and people may take your posts more seriously, reading your posts is like reading the Nation.
Ouch!
( But wait, he might not even be offended by that..? ) -
Nice one.. in polarized times though, not many people manage mixed emotions. I think mixed emotions are a sign of emotional balance. In the current political strife, be it in Thai society or on this forum, this is not very common place.
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If only the East German Stasi thought of this when people were going to the wall!
Anyway, last time I checked there was freedom of movement, freedom of assembly and relative freedom of speech in this country, even under the current constitution.. Then again recently the powers that be have been rather effective in leveraging bureaucracy and the judiciary against those basic rights, so who knows.
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Alright, fair enough. I do applaud you for answering questions so patiently and politely, in the face of jabs from various angles.
You passed.
WTK (15 years.. never attended language school.
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Sorry to throw a spanner into your pre-assumptions, but in my experience the hotels in Chiang Mai do not provide the best restaurants. Chiang Mai's finest are 'stand alone' places. Try Le Coq D'Or, The House, Le Crystal, Mi Casa, The Italian place near the Empress hotel, or at a cheaper level St Germain des Prés.
I was going to say the exact same thing. There may be some truth to your point in places like Bangkok, but for Chiang Mai I think the issue may be that there just isn't the consistent higher end / business crowd to cater to. Some try, and even manage to sustain it for a little while, but then they revert to where the customer base is. Favola is a good example of this. Strangely fancy without actually being particularly good. And Meridien is just not doing enough business to make it a reliable choice.
Typically what happens about a year after an opening with an international chef and a lot of fanfare is that the business just doesn't merit the expense, then the chef leaves to work for another hotel somewhere in Bangkok or Hong Kong or Singapore, and the restaurant reverts to pretty unremarkable but still with sky high prices.
In Chiang Mai I would avoid hotel restaurants like the plague (there are probably exceptions, long may they last.
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1. I'm not shocked at all that a country is split down the middle politically. I see it here and I see it back in America.
2. I understand exactly why many Thais like Thaksin. I see exactly what he has done for the poorer communities in Thailand. Not unlike many of the progressive politicians in the States.
Ok, agreed.
But here's my challenge to you. You said above, "Then in the ensuing discussion on this forum, you make arguments about Thaksin that are your views." No, I actually haven't...although others have and have strayed way off the topic I originally posted about. The theme of my post and those after the original were about Thais thinking they are living exactly like the people in Burma. Please quote the sentences I have posted here about my personal views of Thaksin.<Just read back the entire topic>
and I have to admit you're correct, I must have mistaken somone elses post for yours.. Apologies for that! So yes, I do accept the above clarification of your point. We also agree that the situation in Thailand is of course not as bad or even directly comparable to Burma. Par for the course in a political discussion though.To be honest there aren't that many countries that are _currently_ directly comparable to Thailand; I guess that makes it so interesting. Thailand is pretty much a 'managed democracy' with pretty well established personal and economic freedoms.
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If someone in politics does something to make your and your family's life better, you will support that politician. Thaksin did many things for poor people here, so this is shocking that they like him? The only shocking things about this conversation are that OP cannot understand this, and that the OP considers the Thai guy to be the ignorant one.
Oh, and Tomahawk...I think you need to go back and read my original post...which I doubt you did before responding. I was not shocked that they like Thaksin. I understand they like his progressive stances that, from their perspectives, have helped them in their villages.
Here's what I said: That the taxi driver said, "We all live just like the people in Burma....I was stunned by just how brainwashed some of these people are to think that their government and living conditions are suddenly equivalent -- under Abhisit -- to the Burmese junta."
I think someone already answered that one. He meant Burma as a metaphor for a poverty stricken country, where most of the population has no power and really no hope of things ever getting better. It's honestly not that shocking. It's definitely hyperbole because of course things are nowhere near as bad as Burma. But that's what people do in political conversations; compare it to saying that the US is becoming a socialist country: the point is to raise a political concern, where factually it's complete nonsense.
(I honestly hope this explains it, please everyone read the above twice and count to 10 before responding.
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If you look to what the Labour party as done to the UK over the last 12 years and then see just how many fools still vote for them come election time it may help you understand democracy.
That's the problem in a nutshell, isn't it? Democracy doesn't guarantee good governance.
It does however pretty much guarantee that as a country you don't end up like Burma, North Korea, Zimbabwe, Cambodia under Pol Pot, etc, etc. Take away democracy and you're at the whim of the people with the guns.
Nobody claims democracy is perfect. <insert Churchill's quote>
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Sounds an exciting menu.
Only thing missing is the Sweet & Sour. As for ordering food 'mai phet', be advised that some dishes are just very hard to make not spicy when they're based on a pre-existing curry paste. If that paste is spicy, it's near impossible to do a curry that's not spicy but still flavorful; do accomplish that a restaurant would have to tune the curry paste itself, which is only going to happen at tourist places.
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^ No government is advising against travel to Thailand. Every government has a standing travel advisory, as they do about just about any country in the world. It says things like don't go to the deep South, and don't go walk around demonstrations. But don't take my word for it, go to the travel advisory site of your government and look it up.
Do be advised that it's the hot and (very) dry season especially in Central, Northern and North Eastern parts of the country. It will get REALLY hot, and indeed like the poster above says, the air quality in the North suffers during March. Very dry, hazy and not many good views. So the South is better (still very hot, but at least not dry and hazy)
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JT, my response was "Scary Guy" (see above). You're the one reverting to the usual broken-record tune. I feel no need to defend anyone, especially not the scary guy, or anyone involved in violence, terrorism, etc. That should be obvious and I'm sad to read that apparently this isn't obvious to everyone.
Furthermore, I don't appreciate the personal jibe. Periodically I try to explain where the Red side of the country is coming from, but I try to do so without ad-hominem attacks and not just because it's against forum rules, but because it really doesn't help a discussion forward.
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Scary guy, whoever he is. bah.gif
Apparently a friend of Thaksin?
I don't think anything is apparent, especially not that it's even him in the picture, let alone what his relation is to anyone else. You're running off like a headless chicken, again, without ANY information whatsoever. Do you even realize that you're doing this, or does it come so natural that you don't even notice? I'm beginning to get genuinely intrigued.
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Hindsight is always 20/20, and the more distance I get from this situation, the clearer things become. After following a few hints from the other posters, I quickly identified the most likely candidate for the type of pill it was. I'm pretty sure it was the Thai generic form of Xanax know as Xiemed. After seeing the picture of the purple 1mg tablet, I have little doubt in my mind.
I took one of the 5mg tabs by choice to sleep through some festival fireworks last year, and it put me out for about 10 hours.
They make 5mg Xanax (Alprazolam) tablets?? Thought they came in .5 and 1mg only? (Just did a search.. there apparently is 2mg as well, though I've not seen that available in Thailand)
Either way, it's pretty much impossible for one 1mg tablet to knock you out cold, or even do anything beyond making you more relaxed, a bit drowsy at best. (and especially not when you haven't been drinking as per your original post; It usually takes me 2 of those in addition to some alcohol to sleep on a flight, and then I'm by no means out cold, often waking up, etc.. (Yes I have a prescription). You basically get relaxed and a bit drowsy, but not enough to knock you out while any kind of serious shit is going on.
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Scary guy, whoever he is.
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How about an IBM T42 over 5 years old and for the last 2 years only turned off for a restart on the odd occasion...as i said...there are laptops and there are IBM thinkpads, Take a look around all the small repair shops around the back of pantip and you will notice all these guys use thinkpads...theres a reason.
A reason... uhmmm let me think..... "They're so ugly that nobody would want to steal one, and so heavy that they wouldn't get very far if they tried?"
(Kidding.. typing this on a T61. (Most models start with T's, like the Russian tank series that seems to have served as a design inspiration.
Here's your T-42: http://www.toadmanstankpictures.com/t42_01.jpg ) -
I would never take a computer to Pantip for repairs. Too many horror stories. I have taken my HP to the HP service center on Rama IV and they diagnosed it for free. Told me what part I needed and were willing to fix it for a very reasonable price. The IBM service center is out near Victory Monument and there are other dealer service centers around. My experience is that they are no more expensive than the hacks at Pantip.
The OP and most others on this forum are in Chiang Mai. Rama IV road and/or the Victory Monument is a bit far for us to to go for computer repairs...
/ Priceless
There is however a HP service center on Chang Klan Road, Dell even do on-site repairs at your home or office, and I believe Lenovo is around as well. (Not sure, I'm sure the HP center is busier than the Lenovo one as their crap breaks all the %*(#*$# time.
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Can't comment on the lessons themselves though I would agree that teaching letters and reading and writing at an early stage is the right thing to do.
When looking at the website though it seems more like a visa-ploy than a language school? With big phrases "Free Ed visa for up to 10 years!" and "Unlimited stay in Thailand!" instead of highlighting the merits of the study it kind of makes me wonder what the aim is. The Baht bus ads in Pattaya also took this line, focusing more on ...using visa laws creatively... than actually learning Thai.
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Criticizing how the laws came about will do just fine. I agree, no need to be overly critical of the courts. (Though.. beware; soon there will not too many parties and institutions left that can still be criticized in Thailand, as the last bits of freedom-of-expression are flushed down the drain..)
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"Crimes"? Such as... being on a cooking show.
Falsehood #1. He was guilty of the crime of falsifying documents and perjury, not for cooking on a TV show.
Sigh.. why why why am I doing this.. have it your way, here:
On 9 September 2008, 15.30 hours, the ConCourt with Justice Chat Chonlaworn sitting as the President rendered its decision as follows:[39]1. The essence of the first complaint (Senators' Complaint) could be summarised as follows: as Sundaravej was a holder of the political position as a Prime Minister, he was under the subject of Section 267 of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand (2007) prohibiting the Prime Minister and Ministers from having any position in a partnership, a company or an organisation carrying out business with a view to sharing profits or incomes or being an employee of any person. However, Sundaravej, who acknowledged the purpose of such Section so well, still worked for the Face Media Co., Ltd. as emcee of two cookery shows, Chim Pai Bon Pai (Tasting and Grumbling) and Yok Khayong Hok Mong Chao (All Set at 6am), and ceased from such works just when the ECT received a complaint concerning the case.
(But.. welcome to the forum!
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Me neither. I think we're getting to an agreement.
(In fairness, Chuan got pretty close, but had other flaws, as mentioned elsewhere.) -
These ignorant "arguments" (sorry thats a stretch) about this "illegitimate" government are getting so boring. At least look up the situation a little before posting this nonsense. You clearly didn't even follow the situation. Most of these posts are imposing that Abhisit was put in directly after Thaksin was thrown out. Couldn't be any further from the truth. Just to fill these people in since they clearly aren't looking in to it in any way before posting such nonsense, Abhisit took power several years after Thaksin, after the Army controlled Thailand for about a year, and after several of Thaksins friends and family were thrown out of the PM position by a legal court of law for various crimes.
"Crimes"? Such as... being on a cooking show.
. And under "Laws" as laid down by the generals after a coup, which the courts actually called 'equivalent to having been established by parliament." Please, not everyone is capable of buying into that level of naivety. Don't go calling people names and telling them they're posting nonsense when what you actually have is a difference of opinion on the power structures in Thailand and how those affect democratic process.
As my post already stated, it is nonsense to post about Abhisit taking power directly after Thaksin. This is not opinion-based, it is factually untrue. Would you care to look it up?
Quite obviously I was not and am not disputing that. And I never made that statement either, someone else doesn't quite have a clear perspective of recent history.
Do you actually believe that "being on a cooking show" was the crime? No of course you don't, you are now talking nonsense. A "crime" refers to breaking a law. It is not illegal to be on cooking shows in Thailand. You must have sourced some incorrect information if you thought that. The crime was obviously taking money from a private company for work outside of his Prime Minister position... The man got an allowance, a negligible amount to cover expenses! And then, the punishment: a whole government, formed by a coalition who won recent elections was removed!! I'm not further debating this point, this is ludicrous. I mean in all honesty. -
On the topic of driving after drinking, there are a couple people I know with whom I'm actually more comfortable in a car after they had something to drink; Part of 'growing up' also means that you learn more about how your body responds to alcohol, and realize that instead of going crazy behind the wheel you actually need to seriously ADD to the amount of focus you put into driving, take it a bit slower, and take away ALL other distractions, so absolutely no music, cell phones and so on, and be aware of the risks off fatigue. And, obviously, realizing when you really have to just get a room down-town. Note that you have to do this anyway later at night even when not drinking, because most other people on the road will also not be entirely sober and may not follow these DWI best-practices.
What a stupid thing to say
Drink driving proven killer yet you would get in a
car with someone who drinks and drive???
That's not quite what I said. There are some people where I wouldn't even want to be in the same town after they've had a few beers and will be on the road. There are others who drive more careful than they would otherwise. Alcohol does not affect everyone in the same way, and in addition to that, some people seem to handle it a lot better by forcing additional attention on traffic and driving.
The above obviously doesn't mean 'completely wasted'. There comes a point when things just start shutting down. I wouldn't get in a car with a person who's at that level, no matter how their brain is wired.
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These ignorant "arguments" (sorry thats a stretch) about this "illegitimate" government are getting so boring. At least look up the situation a little before posting this nonsense. You clearly didn't even follow the situation. Most of these posts are imposing that Abhisit was put in directly after Thaksin was thrown out. Couldn't be any further from the truth. Just to fill these people in since they clearly aren't looking in to it in any way before posting such nonsense, Abhisit took power several years after Thaksin, after the Army controlled Thailand for about a year, and after several of Thaksins friends and family were thrown out of the PM position by a legal court of law for various crimes.
"Crimes"? Such as... being on a cooking show.
. And under "Laws" as laid down by the generals after a coup, which the courts actually called 'equivalent to having been established by parliament." Please, not everyone is capable of buying into that level of naivety. Don't go calling people names and telling them they're posting nonsense when what you actually have is a difference of opinion on the power structures in Thailand and how those affect democratic process.
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Even in Koh Chang I would be hard pressed to leave your house unattended
I'd make that:
Even ESPECIALLY in Koh Chang I would be hard pressed to leave your house unattended.
(Those types of places developed quickly fairly recently, with a large migrant population. The social structures you would have in a regular village or neighborhood are completely absent. The islands can be a very lawless place when you get beyond just being a tourist, and owning a house is very much in that category. Applies also to Samui, Pha Ngan, etc. )
( But wait, he might not even be offended by that..? 
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Pills In My Drink. Uh Oh
in General Topics
Posted
Whoa, good information here.. I take about 2mg Xanax on flights (1mg, 30 mins to an hour apart), in combination with alcohol of just about every kind, but just not beer. Is beer truly different than a combination of rum, gin, Cointreau (lounge) and some red and white wine, and possibly Brandy if it's TG? Or maybe it's just me..