kevozman1

See, this is what happens when a deluded poster uses a few whining expats on TV to represent western people in Thailand. I should imagine there was some Chinese grumbling about what was happening when they first moved to Thailand as well.

When I told Thai people I'm from Singapore, they don't call me farang. Perhaps farang only refers to foreigners from western countries?

No, it's a racial thing, there are plenty of people born in western counties of various races. Farang is a term they use to describe Caucasians.

For example, I went to a bar in bangkok and the Thai girls there prefer to serve me rather than other farangs.

yes, bar girls are good at telling people what they think they want to hear.

Farang , simply means foriegner, that is no racist term in itself, but the manner and tone in which it is used can be offensive, in my opinion. To use and old phrase, its not what you say its the way you say it.

"Farang , simply means foriegner"...........No it does not and nor is it used in that manner in every day usage. Really wish Expats would stop letting these Thais off the hook so easily by saying "it means foreigner" . If it only meant foreigner then why do they not call people from Loas, Cambodia, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan (need i go on) foreigners ?!! They dont call them foreigners, in fact I think you have to go quite far geographically before they start using the generic term farang instead of individual terms...

When I told Thai people I'm from Singapore, they don't call me farang. Perhaps farang only refers to foreigners from western countries?

No, it's a racial thing, there are plenty of people born in western counties of various races. Farang is a term they use to describe Caucasians.

Tell you what, next time a white man is arrested in Thailand for child sex offences - I'm sure it won't be long - I'm gonna come on here and have a freakin' field day.

Well that's the way to show people who hold bigoted and offensive views, by replicating the exact same behaviour.

Since tapeworm is generally acquired from incompletely cooked meat/fish, it would help to know something of the eating habits of the farang in question.

Yes, the only time I had a case of some nasty intestinal worms was when I was in Isaan having a drink and was offered some raw meat that others were all munching on. Being slightly drunk and a bit of an idiot I went for it. Never again.

Seems a lot in Thailand have a more superstitious use of Buddhism rather than following it with a strict code or in a way of life that abides every thing that the religion preaches. I quite like the Thai's relationship with Buddhism although I would not say I have much knowledge of it. The only studying I have done on Buddhism (apart from some first hand experience in SEA) is read two books written by the Dalai Lama. Really enjoyed them, some really interesting philosophy to take from the religion.

because the position of the jaw is the same for both. but for L the tongue is slightly more forward in the mouth. westerners learn this while young. if an asian is born and educated in the west by caucasians, they will say R and L just as well as anyone else. but adults cannot easily relearn how to position their mouths to make sounds. after 25 years , I still cannot make the NG sound properly.

I think this sums it up pretty well. I am sure most foreigners who try to learn Thai are somewhat perplexed by the ng sound, much to the amusement of any Thai who happens to be trying to help you pronounce it correctly.

No offense, but I do not think any of the destinations mentioned are exactly top priority when it comes to global stars booking venues for gigs. Maybe Singapore being the exception there. Are big international pop groups/bands really doing more concerts in Indonesia and Philippines than Thailand though? That would be a little bit of a surprise.

Perhaps the hardest thing for Thai people to say is 'the squirrel ate the shrimp crisps' - my wife still can't say this.

Then again I find it quite hard to say quickly, not as bad as 'the Leith police dismitheth us'

Have to agree, squirrel and crisps were two words I distinctively remember having issues trying to help a Thai girl to pronounce. However she did manage to pick up English way faster than I could with Thai haha.

Mourinho despite being a controversial character is quite often refreshingly honest in interviews when defeated, as showcased today. Been on a good run before today, have to see what the reaction will be to this slightly surprising defeat.

Yes most seem to have an issue with their R's. People in SEA are quite good though in general with their accent and rhythm of speaking English. Most far east places in Asia are quite pathetic for whatever reason in their ability of grasping English, probably on the same level as people from my country picking up Thai to be fair. I can certainly understand peoples take on English from SEA waaaaayy more than most people I have talked to from East countries.

Its is interesting to note the excellent "English" as "wrote" by an alleged "speaker" of the language !

Nice quotation marks. Do you think that makes you look smart by the way? Because It doesn't I am afraid.

I am quite happy with my English thank you very much as I was able to able to obtain a degree in England. Luckily I was not judged on my use of English whilst using casual internet forums I suppose eh?

If one wishes to criticise others use of language it just might be a good idea to ensure ones own use is above reproach .

Was the degree in basket weaving difficult ?

Oh, in that case I suggest you look at your own use of English as you obviously felt the need to criticise mine, "Its is". Very easy to be a pedantic loser if one chooses.

Anyway, I have little patience for fools and clearly I have wasted enough time on one already.

Yes most seem to have an issue with their R's. People in SEA are quite good though in general with their accent and rhythm of speaking English. Most far east places in Asia are quite pathetic for whatever reason in their ability of grasping English, probably on the same level as people from my country picking up Thai to be fair. I can certainly understand peoples take on English from SEA waaaaayy more than most people I have talked to from East countries.

Its is interesting to note the excellent "English" as "wrote" by an alleged "speaker" of the language !

Nice quotation marks. Do you think that makes you look smart by the way? Because It doesn't I am afraid.

I am quite happy with my English thank you very much as I was able to able to obtain a degree in England. Luckily I was not judged on my use of English whilst using casual internet forums I suppose eh?

Yes most seem to have an issue with their R's. People in SEA are quite good though in general with their accent and rhythm of speaking English. Most far east places in Asia are quite pathetic for whatever reason in their ability of grasping English, probably on the same level as people from my country picking up Thai to be fair. I can certainly understand peoples take on English from SEA waaaaayy more than most people I have talked to from East countries.

Maybe the Thai respect for elders doesn't include 70 year old foreigners with 20 year old Thai girlfriends??

Wonder why?

?????

Not having respect is fine. The issue is with a guy who attacks another with a knife and is given a slap on the wrist fine, hardly a deterrent is it? Maybe this guy will be working in a neighborhood near you soon and may not have respect for you for whatever reason, clearly reason enough to knife someone right? The law seems to somewhat agree as the attacker in this case probably only lost a days earnings or so for carrying an offensive weapon, using that offensive weapon on another whilst in the activity of selling counterfeit goods.

Name rung a bell with me so I googled him and realized why, I am a longterm Chelsea fan, although I actually liked the football and not the senseless head kicking.

Interesting to have a world cup in a sport only seriously played by Northerners and Australians.

How about darts? ...

Doesn't really matter, now, does it?

No, not really. I was just being an ass.

World cup helps to promote the sport.

My more peaceful moments in LoS:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybeke7_d1zE

Interesting to have a world cup in a sport only seriously played by Northerners and Australians.

No

edit: Oh a necro >_>

Very scary. Yes of course if you are in Pattaya or Patpong or somewhere similar then this kind of incident is more likely to happen to you, just down to the types that tend to frequent those areas in large numbers. Problem is this is not an issue with location, but law and justice. A similar incident to this could happen anywhere in the country and the punishment and accountability for such crimes is just not sufficient. No Thai bashing or apologist attitude but it is time for this kind of thing to get a bit of spotlight in some renowned international newspapers.

On a personal level this does worry me, certainly time to weigh up other options and I would consider myself someone who is footloose and fancy free and will take risks more than your average person in terms of residency. If I was a more responsible family man there is no way I would bring my family to Thailand.

Before you move couldn't your wife have a chat with the laundry lady about changing the brand of perfume or what ever chemical she is using for cleaning? If she tells the lady how bad her symptoms are then maybe she may change products. Worth a try eh? Minor symptoms like the runny nose is no problem, but the dizziness does make it sound like a bad reaction and one that has to be dealt with.

GL!

Too Cute

That is a delightful picture, Shaggy

awwwwww so cute ^^

Offline single player games from the mid/late 90's early 00's gave me the best times in gaming. I have played a fair bit of online games, most recently being Starcraft 2 and from a competitive point of view online games really offer a good experience. Not feeling gaming these days that much, not sure how long it will be considered one of my hobbies and gaming has been a very longterm hobby of mine.

Weird, most bar girls I have talked to will just categorize all western looking people as the farangs and not pay much attention at all to their nationality.