14 minutes ago, giddyup said:

Aren't you supposed to be rulers of the free world and the leading superpower? Well, we should be concerned what loony has their finger on the red button shouldn't we?

You realize that this is a huge blatant fear mongering post right? 

28 minutes ago, OMGImInPattaya said:

I don't agree. As CM said, I too don't experience any of these things either...maybe it's my middle-aged Asian-white priviledge but the Thais almost always treat me with courtesy and respect. It may have something to do with the establishments I frequent as well as well as my generally jovial manner.

 

As for the "corruption," being able to pay a 500 baht on the spot fine for driving a car with an expired license and registration is corruption I'm down with. As for other types, I've never run into any.

Just because you do not experience them, does not in any way shape or form mean they do not exist. 

Just because people are jovial and nice to you does not mean that they like and respect you as a person. 

This 500 baht corruption charge for driving your car illegally may seem great to you at the time, but it allows every other person on the road to blatantly ignore laws and creates huge unnecessary problems in the event of an accident and contributes to countless road deaths that far and away don't need to happen. Somchai that should never be behind the wheel and has no license, but drives anyway because its only 500b if caught, then crashes into someone and kills them. On and on and on. 

19 minutes ago, OMGImInPattaya said:

Good that you've made a decision that's best for you. By the way, except for owning property, all that you state can be done in Thailand as well. And it was your choice to go everywhere by bus...anyone can buy a car in their own name. I'm not sure where your car parts fetish comes from but I've rarely had to get anything than normal replacement stuff (tires, wiper blades, radiator once) and they were all either in stock at my regular garage or ordered from the local parts supplier and delivered to the garage in 30 minutes. Modern cars are not like your grandfather's car are are pretty much worry-free and rarely require more than regularly scheduled maintence.

 

As you mention costs allot, it sounds like your finances are a bit strained and that has affected your lifestyle and colored your views of living in Thailand. If money is a concern, you are probably better off in the US, where you could find work easily and there is a social safety net if you can't. 

 

As for general freedom, social and political, I agree many places are better than Thailand. General easy living is great in the US as long as you're middle-class or higher. You can also live a very comfortable life in Thailand if you're working at a good job or have sufficient funds to not work. I think you said you were up in the sticks of Issan and that's enough to drive anyone batty.

You realize I'm the OP, and you have read all my other posts right? 

Because I really don't feel like dissecting this unless you have read all my other posts and realize I'm not a Thailand rookie nor broke nor a mechanical idiot, nor have a solid plan b. 

10 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

I wasn't really referring to Thais. Considering where Thailand is politically, they aren't a good example. See the O.P.

Of course more informed people understand that U.S. elections have a global impact. 

Of course it has a global impact, but I'm not going to change my political view or what I truly believe in, because of what some English dude says walking through the airport or whatever. 

Yeah sure its retarded whats going on with the presidential debates, but there is ALOT more going on, on the ground, that makes this a thing, and if someone is going to ridicule and patronize over it, without taking the time to learn and understand the reason, they can take that noise somewhere else. 

Ive made the decision to move back at the end of the year. My property in FL is up for sale and I'm going minimalist for a while.

Thailand has good and bad, but for me the bad outweigh the good. There are 16 pages of debate and I think it comes down to what you are willing to live with and accept - for what you pay.

I will be splitting my time between the US and Thailand but Im not going to live here anymore. Im over it. 
 

Yeah sure you can take a bus anywhere... But its a damn bus. I want and can afford a nice car, good roads, knowledgable mechanics, dealerships that have parts ON THE SHELF for your brand new car OR can order them in 24 hours (Don't BS me by saying its the same in Thailand, its not) 

Only thing thailand has going for it is the ability to survive for very cheap. Im not going native and never planned to and I'm at the point where its pointless to try and make thailand work for me when I have a perfectly free country to live in without BS visa/immigration issues. I have the right to property and the defense of that property and myself AND my family. 

Im not a rich man, but if you can afford it, there are so many better options to live than Thailand. Im not looking to retire, not looking to slow down, and require more than this place has to offer. Sure its great for a vacation, but IMHO thats where it should stay because its obvious thats what the majority of Thais believe. 

4 hours ago, chiang mai said:

I know that somebody will come along and accuse me of being a Thai Apologist for saying this but to be absolutely honest, nothing much in Thailand has changed for me (for the worse) in the past five years or so. Sure the cost of living has increased in some areas of the economy but since I don't have to rely on foreign currency exchange rates (I bought about ten years living expenses into the country a long time ago) I can dodge most of the price increases if I need to.

 

As for government interference/BiB hassles/Immigration related issues: none of those problems cross my path ever, in fact if anything my experiences with Immigration have become easier since I started using a visa agent - I don't feel pressured, intimidated, scrutinized or anything similar and I never get asked for tea money etc.

 

So I don't understand when people tell me that Thailand is changing for the worse and how badly they are being affected or why, sorry, I just don't. I mean I like everyone else has a Plan B which I review from time to time, it's there if I need it and it's viable but I can't see me ever needing to use it. I wonder if sometimes, some of those people with such complaints actually over emphasise the things they see as negative and accordingly, over imagine the impact of them on their life here in Thailand.  I do know from reading lots of posts on this and related subjects that some of the negative comments are coming from people who don't live here and probably never did, why that is escapes me.

You have to REALLY want to live in thailand to be able to overlook the xenophobia, racism, corruption etc, and act like it does not exist. 

On 10/1/2016 at 1:31 PM, smo said:

 

I was going to add another two cents onto this thread, until I ran into the above comment and found myself slack-jawed.

 

In the midst of steamy and congested Bangkok, every morning I wake up to the sounds of birds and roosters, walk out to my balcony and watch the white-striped squirrels chasing each other all the while shrieking and flying among the branches. The "feral" soi cats also get up there on the opposite shophouse rooftops  watching them squirrels too. In the empty "jungle" lot behind my building I can occasionally spot a giant lizard or two slithering under the bushes. Around the building I often find small lizards sometime blue some green clambering up and down the stairs. When the cleaning staff saw me staring at those in wonder they mentioned that once in a blue moon they would have to roost out a snake from the basement parking lot and we all know where that comes from.

 

If I want to see more wild or not so wild life I would cross the street and enter the Ram U campus, there I find ponds full of fish and turtles coming up to me bubbling their mouths asking for food. Little birds fly straight into the canteen perching on top of the wall mounted antiquated TV sets  eyeing for crumbs. In the evening around the tracks of the National Sports complex  half mile down the block, the big crows mobilise themselves deep among the eucalyptus groove bordering the boulevard and work up a deafening racket to compete with rush hour traffic noise . Across the tracks is a vast open grassy space that turns into a happy - petting - hour gathering for local folks who at the end of their work day would bring out their pets: dogs, rabbits, hamsters and quite a few turtles to get socialized among themselves both pets and owners. On and on. This is their everyday life, and now mine too.

 

The  comment quoted above makes me realize that even in a small social space such as thaivisa forum, folks do live in parallel univers. If I try to tie them all into a big knot, I would  say that If you haven't found what you came here looking for, blame it on your point of departure, not your destination.

Fish ponds, zoos, birds, and a few reptiles in bangkok isn't much to talk about man. 

My spot in FL, in autumn/winter, wake up to see 8-10 wild deer, raccoons, gopher turtles (witch are endangered) squirrels, birds, owls, hawks, wild pigs... Feeding and living in the wild unassisted by human intervention other than studying them and allowing a certain amount hunting tags. Alligators, manatees, snakes, thousands of fish species in fresh, brackish, and salt water environments that can be fished and eaten, or simply swim with and watch. These are real life wild habitats man. 

Thailand is incomparable the US in availability of wildlife, and you can change states and find completely different wildlife. Real wildlife. 

1 hour ago, giddyup said:

I don't see anyone "forming insane opinions", but I do see a couple of presidential candidates that I wouldn't have running a chook raffle.

If it wasn't the presidency, it would be something else, usually fed by whatever click-bait BS that was popular that day. 

As for the OP - I face no ridicule, nor accept any pity. Anyone that believes that they are in a position of superiority and can ridicule or pity me is in for a rude awakening. Besides, most people won't try that crap on outside of TVF anyway. 

Is that a 3-phase supply? 

Im sure Crossy will have the best advice. I don't know of a store that will have that exact part in stock guaranteed. Might be a case of just making the rounds to the electrical supply stores and big homebuilding shops and looking for a replacement. 

What exact board did it come from, i.e. manufacturer and model?

Do you have a pic of the box that it came out of? 

Another @Jingthing thread trying to use any means necessary to scrape the bottom of the barrel in the hopes to find sympathizers. 

"Ridicule and Pity"

"Anthony Bourdain"

Honestly do not care what any holier-than-thou European or Aussie thinks about our country. IF they don't want to take the time to actually learn about us or our country, watch BBC news like its the gospel, then form insane opinions about us, go ahead. Their opinion does not matter at all. 

The majority are upset for whatever reason and it does not matter one bit what the subject is. If it wasn't the election, it would be something else. 

14 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Typical sleazy personal attack
Predictably you avoided the core of my post ... the moral question of what's the best health decision for the hundreds of millions of people in the world that have repeatedly lost weight and regained it. So I will answer. Yes rather than harm your health further with yet another almost definite yoyo failure accept your heavier weight but with that do eat healthy foods and exercise. If your weight is high enough to cause significant health problems then rather than another diet with very low odds of long term improvement yes do consider surgery which offers such people massively higher odds of long term improvement. I believe my advice is very moral and very responsible but of course consult a doctor.

 

For people with a yoyo history realistically the odds of the next attempt working are very tiny. But the chances they'll damage their health more are high.

This is a really important point the Calvinist moralists miss. Health is the most important part of this. It is healthier to be at a stable overweight condition than doing endless serial yoyos.

Yes I know hope springs eternal and people feel the next try will Reilly work long term. But the cold hard statistical reality is that it almost definitely won't. Repeating the same thing that doesn't work indeed makes things worse is insanity.

 

I can not wrap my head around 1 thing that you keep going over and over about:

If they diet and exercise, they lose weight. When they stop, they gain weight. This is your YOYO complaint. 

To have a YOYO effect You need to actually LOSE weight, then GAIN it back. 

So you lost the weight, then what? Kept eating clean and working out, but still gained the weight back???? Or they went back to past habits and gained the weight back??? 

2 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

17 minutes ago, Strange said:

 

lol but you know what? 

 

Its crazy to me that someone will have the willpower to undergo surgery to overcome their obesity, when I honestly believe that if they take the same drive and willpower used to put themselves through that, and apply it to their diet and exercise, they can achieve so much more. 

ghrelin 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghrelin

Quote

When the stomach is empty, ghrelin is secreted. When the stomach is stretched, secretion stops.^a It acts on hypothalamic brain cells both to increase hunger, and to increase gastric acid secretion and gastrointestinal motility to prepare the body for food intake.^[7]

I get it what you are saying. 

Stomach gets used to food. You take away food. Stomach hungry. 

In time (TIME!!) the body will acclimate. 

10 minutes ago, tropo said:

1 hour ago, Strange said:

 

The article JT posted a while back, the guy had surgery to reduce the size of his stomach limiting what he can eat. 

 

The same thing can be done by just limiting what you eat in the first place. 

 

I suppose the big difference is that one method requires willpower, the other doesn't.

lol but you know what? 

Its crazy to me that someone will have the willpower to undergo surgery to overcome their obesity, when I honestly believe that if they take the same drive and willpower used to put themselves through that, and apply it to their diet and exercise, they can achieve so much more. 

1 minute ago, ClutchClark said:

12 minutes ago, Strange said:

 

The article JT posted a while back, the guy had surgery to reduce the size of his stomach limiting what he can eat. 

 

The same thing can be done by just limiting what you eat in the first place. 

 

I have read and seen where people try these various surgeries as a final effort but they fail to change their lifestyle and the weight comes back !

I know man it blows my mind that this is even a thing. 

1 minute ago, dontoearth said:

      Read the article carefully and those around it on the page.   The article does specifically state you can't get the same results from eating less!  

       Reading comprehension?

Plenty. 

Well, end of the day, if you want surgery, go for it. 

1 minute ago, dontoearth said:

     The million dollar question is upon us!  There are all sorts of reasons.  Most now well documented with decent science.  The set point theory says your brain simply resets your body weight after weight loss.  The set point forces the weight back on and then some.  This has been verified by the National Institute of Health.  There is a good video in this forum to watch documenting the research on that.

      Recent work on gut flora says that digestion enzymes don't change in the obese person causing them to regain weight.

      That is pretty recent.  It is in the article jingthing referenced somewhat back in this discussion thread.

      So take your pick.

       Then there those will power people and perhaps it is God's curse!

The article JT posted a while back, the guy had surgery to reduce the size of his stomach limiting what he can eat. 

The same thing can be done by just limiting what you eat in the first place. 

3 minutes ago, dontoearth said:

      Indeed we are not getting a good discussion of this important topic at all as people continue there idiotic morality lectures.  

      At least in the old days we had better people to blame for problems!  I wish they would go back to blaming those women on the edge of town that practice witchcraft...or...is it gypsies with the evil eye...that are causing our weight problems.

      It isn't like there is ton of new sciences that are opening up and showing new and different ideas about weight loss and verifying our long held suspicions that IT IS NOT will power or morals!  Oh wait. There is indeed a ton of new science and research that is quite hopeful. 

      Can we have a discussion of that?

Hopeful in regards to what??? What are you talking about? 

Holy cow nobody here is going to burn you at the stake, just go on and open it up. Whats the issue? 

1 minute ago, Jingthing said:

Most people fail long term with whatever diet exercise plan. That's a fact. Anecdotal accounts are of little value.

Why? Why do they fail long term? What is the reason? 

7 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

More morality lectures. You don't know how hard people have tried. I'm not even talking about me. I'm talking more generally.

Well then what in the world are we even talking about??? 

Jeez.... 

3 hours ago, tropo said:

So you're saying> motivation > willpower > action. No argument there.  

 

IMO the best course of action is exercise then diet. By "diet" I mean calorie restriction and modification. If you can start at the same time, even better. Exercise helps to repair the metabolic damage caused by inactivity, One of the main problems, particularly in over 40's, is insulin resistance, which makes it hard to burn fat. Exercise also improve mood and lowers (emotional) stress, which will make it easier to become motivated.

 

Finding the best type of exercise for your particular physical condition is the key. I see too many overweight people killing themselves on runs/jogs - looks like torture. That's no way to gain motivation.

 

Arguing on Thaivisa is a very stressful occupation, so a good exercise session does wonders. I'm off to burn my fat. See ya later!

Yo, we are on the same page. Nothing to debate. My points were aimed at the other posters that don't want to see any solution whatsoever. 

3 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Yes, indeed.

And such decisions are made everyday by people dealing with weight issues.

Yet, STRANGELY, the vast majority do fail  (this is a KNOWN SCIENTIFIC FACT) to keep off weight that is lost LONG TERM.

Losing weight is a MUCH LESSER task than keeping it off LONG TERM. 

Typically if you see an overweight adult, they have been through this failure cycle MANY TIMES. 

Is that all about just will power?

Or perhaps there are many other COMPLEX FACTORS going into this provably massive FAILURE RATE?!? 

The morality preachers and fat shamers say no, it's ALL about will power and simple calorie math ... so they encourage society (which already does) to see people with weight issues as both "fat" and immoral (lacking self control they say). 

Serious scientists in the field say the reality is MUCH MORE complex. 

If you are happy with yourself, then that is all that matters. 

If you are not happy with yourself, then change it, and keep it up for the long term. 

I am one of the posters in this thread clearly acknowledging that there is more to it (For some people) than willpower alone. Food Addiction, Depression, Compulsion, Health Problems, etc, but these need to be addressed in a different way. 

People give up before they even really try and then hate on everyone else that are really giving it 200%

4 minutes ago, tropo said:

So your problem was merely semantics. We call it "willpower", you call it "really want to do".

Willpower is taking action, meaning you have already made the decision and are actively doing what you decided. 

Before this happens, the realization that there is, in fact, a problem, (Weight/Eating) and a decision is made to change. You have to really want to do something in the beginning, before willpower takes over. 

44 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Your method is the opposite of scientific. I'm glad you realize that. 

 

Anyway, I've said what I wanted to say. Back to the nasty comments section "health" forum and ignorant, unscientific endless MORALITY lectures.

 

Enjoy!

JT can I ask, what exactly are you trying to debate? 

49 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

These morality arguments here are endless. In my view, to suggest the health issues of overweight and obesity are only about personal will power and that weight control is only about simple (more like simple MINDED) math have no place on this forum. But instead, the insults and the moral crusade POV DOMINATES this forum. That's a reason I am not active on this forum recently. It's more like a nasty comment section on an article about obesity on the general web rather than a serious space about overweight/obesity related health topics.

 

In other words, it's a DAMAGING place for actual people dealing with these issues, rather than a helpful space. Sure, you'll get people disagreeing, but that means nothing. Clearly a significant percentage of Thaivisa have issues with overweight/obesity but only a tiny percentage bother to post on this forum. Because it's a MEAN AND NASTY space dominated by morality crusading and science denial.

 

I'll share this article again for readers interested in more realistic way to see the health issues of overweight/obesity than the endless ignorant, and not at all HELPFUL,  morality lectures --

 

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/09/26/bariatric-surgery-the-solution-to-obesity?mbid=synd_digg

 

Cheers. 

I read your post, and, the entire article (very long btw) just to make sure I'm not missing anything. 

Look, a lot of these articles you read, there is a huge conflict of interest. Next, people see medical doctors say that obesity is a "Disease" and immediately read into it that its a "Genetic Defect" and "Born with it, can't change it" and this is not the case. 

There are many MANY definitions of "Disease". Yes Asthma is a disease. Doctors also say Heroin Addicts have the "Disease of Addiction". 

Look, here is an article from the American Heart Association, not a magazine/news article. 

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/WeightManagement/Obesity/Treating-Obesity-as-a-Disease_UCM_459557_Article.jsp#.V--AgjJ7GRs

As with Smoking, Alcoholism, Addiction, the absolute very first thing is having a deep desire to change. You can not lose weight, stop smoking, put down drugs/alcohol unless you want to and I mean REALLY want to. 

And if you REALLY want to do all this, then its not complicated. 

Far and away it is backed by Science and Medical Professionals that obesity is harmful to your health.