WaatWang

Hello,

I have a friend here who I feel really needs some help. I know that at one point she had taken over 20 paracetamol tablets in the past, but thankfully survived. However she has begun talking about suicide again and I am very concerned about her.

She is Thai, and I don't know what kind of resources are available in the area - does anything exist? I have never had a friend speak like this before, and quite honestly started online reading on suicide.org because I didn't know where to start or how best to help her. It advises that suicidal feelings are often the result of a chemical imbalance that would need to be treated. If taken to a Thai hospital, is this something that would be taken seriously here? Or would they think I am overreacting? Does anyone know of a certain hosptial / doctor that would be best for treatment?

Any advice or stories of personal experience would be welcomed. Obviously you may not want personal experiences of this matter aired on the message board, so please pm me if you are uncomfortable about that. I just really want to find a way to help her.

Many thanks,

WaatWang

Wow definitely can't beat that price! Maybe I will see you there but have no idea who you are..

Only thing I forgot to ask is what time it starts, but we'll call and try to find out.

Thanks, AussieChick!

WaatWang

Hi AussieChick,

Some friends and I would like to check this out tonight - how much were the Tickets?

Thanks for the info!

Kind regards,

Mara

Judging by the level of construction of Central Festival in this photo, the photos must be at least 2 or more years old. Would anyone like the make a more accurate guess?

When I was 'walking' along in the application, I saw a banner on one of the shops that was dated 2007, which is how I knew they were a couple years old.

That's very cool! I'm sending it to my family at home so they can see what they're missing. I like that I can create links to a certain location so they can see it, too. Although the images are a couple years old, I was suprised to see how many of the local Thai owned businesses in my area are exactly the same. Thanks for sharing!

Hi Rumi,

Sounds like you're looking to find a place when you get here and set up your own internet - ? But if you're looking to stay in a hotel or serviced apartment for any period of time I can recommend a couple to you where the internet has been most reliable for me. I also need to use VOIP technology interfacing with offices in the US and Beijing. On my many trips to Pattaya, I've had to change hotels during the course of my stay because the internet was so weak and unreliable. Over time I've found a couple places with very consistent, reliable service. I'm not a big spender so these are not five star B5,000 / night places, but the internet is top notch! Let me know if you're interested.

Kind regards,

WaatWang

Hi NamNam,

I'm in Pattaya, too but I honestly love it here. Don't know why, but when I first came here, it just felt like home. Have been to other places in TH, and around the world, but never felt the same way. Only thing I don't like is that some foreign men must think that when they're here, *all* women suddenly find them sexy -? Middle eastern men especially, but last night I was out and a guy with an accent like Borat asked me if I wanted to see his room. What's with that? (Mind you I dress conservatively - jeans, t-shirt and sneakers.) Pattaya is just a crazy place.

So what country are you from so that I can take that off of my list of places to visit?

I'm originally from the US and have only had one really negative reaction to finding out my BF was Thai. He was an older guy, and just reacted like it was the worst thing in the world. "They don't even speak English over there." And then proceeded to tell me he's got a jacuzzi in his house and I should be with him instead. Ugh!

Eek, I had that same issue too when I first started coming here, that I didn't want people to think I was paying for everything. (Though my BF does not come from a rich background, so technically, I *was* paying for pretty much everything.) To the point that I would just give him our budget money and he could carry it in his wallet and pay for things when we were out. I'm sure all the trolls will all be so disappointed that he never once ran off with the cash, and is very responsible with the finances. But I've pretty much gotten over it and don't bat an eyelash anymore if I pay for something when he's with me. They don't know us and can assume whatever they want.

WaatWang

Let me preface my reply by saying I am a pit bull owner, and have owned & fostered many over the years with different rescue organizations.

"So what is it with these dogs? All I know of them is the bad news, do they have to be trained to fight and kill or do they do it naturally?

If the owner won't look after it should I change my walk route? As in as far away from it as possible if I value my dog? (Which I do)."

Pits are *bred* to fight other dogs. Not all of them will get this trait, but by the time they're between 1-2 ys old you will know what kind of dog you have. It's a natural thing. Spay / neuter & training can go a long way to help them override this desire, but that requires very responsible owners. Seems where ever these dogs are, those types of owners are few & far between.

If I was out walking my dog and saw a pit running loose, you bet your bottom dollar I'd be giving it a wide berth. Best to carry pepper spray also. A stick is not going to do much for you unless it's a strong breaking stick, and even then you're using it after the dog has started to attack. Why put your own dog through that?

20 months ago we had a little puppy pit bull left with us. ... In some repects she was a lovely affectionate dog. Three months ago she started attacking other dogs, she especially picked on golden retrievers.

A perfect example - when they're between 1&2, these things start to happen. They're always loving affectionate animals as puppies, the desire to attack other dogs will begin when they are older. So you won't know what kind of dog you've got until around that age.

NOTE that pits LOVE LOVE LOVE people. They are awesome dogs for families. But most are not good around other dogs. What you will hear on the news when they are attacking people is 99.99% of the time when people jumped in to try & break up a fight between a pit & another dog, and got nailed.

walking with big stick will not work with 'bullys' so perhaps tossing a tasty bone in an other direction as distraction could work: ive never tried this, but have used small rocks or pine cones tossed in opposite direction as distraction for aggressing dog...

Yes any kind of distraction to get those eyes off your dog. Otherwise, dousing them with water or using pepper spray is the best way to get them apart and not get nailed yourself. Trouble with a soi dog is if you break up a fight successfully, then there is no way to separate them. If that dog is fixated on yours and you break up a fight, what is to keep them from coming after your dog again? Pepper spray is your best bet, so you can put some distance between the dog & yourself before it wears off.

I have a 2 year old male Pit bull terrier that is walked at least twice a day for at least an hour at a time, for the rest of the day he has the freedom of the outside of the house but he is secured behind a good sized wall and gate, he has a cage that is never locked so he can come and go as he pleases. From an early age he was socialised around other dogs, (admittedly other Pit Bulls in the area) and also around people. His attitude is great, in fact he's just a great dog to be around, saying that like all terriers at that age he's just daft and wants to play all the time. Like what has been stated if you love and look after any dog it will be loyal and loving back, if you mistreat them then they will turn no doubt about it. Good luck OP with the dog that roaming the streets, this is obviously a case of owner neglect and it should be him that is punished.

Awesome example of a repsonsible owner. Just want to clarify that even a pit brought up in a loving home can still turn against other dogs. One dog we adopted as a puppy was great until around 18 months and then started attacking our male pit. They are always great with people, but you've got a 50/50 shot they'll like other dogs, too, regardless of how much you love on them when they're puppies. It's not something they can control. They either have it, or they don't.

We brought our three year old Pit Bull Una to Thailand when we moved here. We have been here about three years and Una has adapted beautifully. We live in a gated house and have no issue with a free roaming dog since she is not allowed to roam, but all the neighbors on our Soi know her and love her. They gave her a wide berth at first but gradually came to realize she was a sweetheart. We also have a house on the beach in Cha Am and Una has made swimming in the Gulf of Thailand her number one favorite thing to do. She usually ends up attracting a large crowd who come to see the " Ma wei nam" All of the vendors and neighbors in Cha Am also love her and smile every time they see her. She has made several dog friends on the beach but I am cautious with her around the Soi dogs since they can be quite territorial and agressive. If you are a responsible Pit Bull owner you will avoid confrontations with other dogs whenever possible because a Pit Bull will defend itself and will probably win. You will be labeled the "Bad Guy" because your dog is a Pit Bull even though the other dog started the fight. These are some of the responsibilities that come with the ownership of a powerful animal. Una is the most loving and loyal dog I have owned. She listens to commands and is basically a big Teddy Bear....but..... she is a Pit Bull. Proper training and love can make any dog a wonderful pet. It all comes down to responsible ownership. If anyone is to be blamed for the attacks concerning Pit Bulls it would be the owners. As someone also mentioned, most dog attacks are not done by Pit Bulls, but it seems these are the only ones that make the News.

Joe C

Another awesome responsible owner. We just need more education and people like this.

There are some Thai owners here that are responsible - just last week we got a flat motorbike tire and went to a local repair shop on Beukhau (sp?). They had a big male pit, unneutered, sitting outside with them while they worked on the bikes. Came over to me and said hello, but he was not tied up. Other dogs would come by and they had trained him to grab one of the spare bike tires and hold onto that. Our dog is the same way. Give him something to hold onto in his mouth and it calms down that desire to go after another dog. He listened to his owner and was very well behaved.

Basically, pits can't help what they are. They are not bad dogs, but do require special handling. If you see one out loose - male or female - best to stay as far away as possible.

Sorry about that. I should have indeed stated my location, which is in fact, Bangkok, so please do pass along the information.

Thanks,

Dr. B

OK I PM'd that to you. I am sure you will like him!

Kind regards,

WaatWang

Hi Dr. B,

I know a great driver in Bangkok, but that won't help you if you're in Phuket. Can you narrow it down a little? If you're in BKK I'm happy to pass along the info.

Kind regards,

WaatWang

So there are 5 families that are to pay around 200,000 baht each or go to prison.

Four families have agreed, one has offered 7,000 baht for some reason,,maybe like prison or something.

Soihok,

My sincere condolances to you and your family. What a tragic end to a life, and needless suffering for those who survived.

To put a price on a life - how can it be done? Perhaps the perpetrators will find greater remorse in putting their families through the shame of the trial, and having to sell off properties to come up with BHT 200,000, than actually serving jail time (since it sounds like that will not be happening). I think best possible outcome of these events at this point is for them to be changed for the better, and never do something like this to anyone else in the future.

I am glad your wife's family was able to get a laywer to bring about some form of 'justice'.

Kind regards,

WaatWang

There's also kayaking, rent or buy. Relatively inexpensive, fantastic exercise and only the most determined ladyboy will try reach you ;-)

Setanta,

Could you please recommend a place where I can rent a kayak in Pattaya?

Thanks!

A friend of mine thought about people like me who lay around all day and do not much of anything. So we had a bet, about washing hair.

So after 10 days, did you win the bet?!

Wow Ave - I thought I liked to keep busy! That is a very diverse resume you have.

So over to you ladies...what do you do, what did you do. Do you feel like you miss the career opportunities your home country gave you? Or is that the reason you left?

In the US:

Software quality assurance, and on-site coordinator for our company's two offices - one in NY the other in Beijing. This pays the bills but required working a split shift to be available to both teams in exactly the opposite time zones.

I also started and ran a pet sitting company for six years. Not the best money, rough on my car, but gets me away from my desk, and I love taking care of animals! Somehow, these two opposite types of work strike a nice balance for me.

In Thailand:

Still doing software quality assurance, and now I can work a normal 8 hr work day. Took a pay cut, but cost of living is certainly different, so that's no problem. AND I don't need to buy heating oil!! Oh how I love saying that to anyone that will listen.

I am looking into starting a pet sitting company here as well. Seems like there is a market for it as the vets don't cater to the animals' quality of life while their families are away. Once I get settled I will look into that more seriously. Right now I'm just enjoying all my free time! In the last six years I didn't have much of that. Even on holidays the dogs must be walked...

I like the curl in my hair, just not the frizz.

Now, I can get reasonably unfrizzy hair with a serious amount of product in my hair (and I do mean serious!) but is there any other alternatives for someone like me?

signed,

frustrated and frizzy

Hey Frizzy!

My hair is naturally wavy (I wear it really long) but gets frizzy, too if I don't keep on top of it. Here's what has worked for me:

- olive oil or coconut oil - right now I'm using Organic's Olive Oil Leave-in Conditioner. It's not greasy - my hair just soaks it up like it's thirsty! I don't know if you can get this over here, I just brought a ton of it with me, but I'm sure there have got to be products similar. They also make this in an aerosol form which works equally well. Look for extra virgin olive oil as the ingredient. I put this on in the morning before I go out, or if I've been out and it's starting to look dry again. It's not heavy - it just restores the moisture nicely and maintains my curl.

- Alberto VO5 for normal/dry hair. Been around for years - in fact my mom used it! But tried and true, it still works great for my hair. Smells absolutely horrible, though. But after I take a shower I rub this through my hair, and use a lot at the ends. Prevents it from splitting and getting dry. I braid my hair before I go to sleep and in the morning my hair feels so soft! Helps keep it looking shiny, too. As above I don't know if you can get this over here though. I'm sure you could get it shipped online. It's extremely cheap stuff, if you can get past the smell it's powerful and works miracles.

Using these two products you have to use a really good shampoo or else especially the VO5 will begin to build up on your hair, and you'll have the opposite problem. It will look weighed down, dirty and gross. I will even use a shampoo designed for oily hair which helps strip the stuff out, followed up by a good conditioner.

Good luck!

WaatWang

As most of us know, often people find out about certain events by reading the newspaper reports after the event!

I had the same feeling, reading the last edition of Pattaya Today and thinking, I would have liked to go to that if I'd known about it.

So thanks for posting these Monty!

I'll add one event I'm planning to attend is on Halloween - Pattaya Players is putting on a haunted ghost story tour along with amusement park rides & games for kids. Says there will also be food & drinks available, too. Not bad for BHT 200 if you ask me. It's at Horsehoe Point / Three Kingdoms Park. You can Google 'Pattaya Players' for their website and more info.

Sounds like there's lots of fun to be had in the coming weeks!

Thank you guys for all your advices. Basically, I have been getting somewhat conflicting advices from people.

On one side is don't ask for date directly and just be more casual about it and say would you like to go to place/event/etc. The other way is to be more direct, if you want a date then ask for one.. don't beat around the bush and send confusing signal like that. what do you think?

Pete

Hi Pete,

I'm from the US and currently with a Thai guy. I would second Eek's advice. You don't have to call it a date even though that's what it is. Calling it a date will involve a certain degree of formality and best behavior (going out to a nice restaurant, etc). It's much more fun I think to do something in the daytime where you'll be able to interact more in a more casual setting, and really get to know her.

This is just me personally - there is no way to say all American women would prefer the same!

I also would be put a bit on edge if you were to start talking marriage right out of the gate. And the idea of her thinking you just wanted US immigration status - it would not even cross my mind UNLESS you started talking about it in the first couple weeks of dating! At least wait several months of time spent together and decide for yourself if you even like her that much.

Have fun and good luck!

WaatWang

If you ever start a buisness in Pattaya taking care of people's pets, please let me know, I have always been looking for someone to take care of my animals while I go away, but do not fancy leaving them caged up at some Vets.

Good luck with it.

Sounds like maybe there is a market for these services here after all! Having animals myself, that was the main motive, to make sure the pets are happy while you're away. I didn't think the vets around here really cater to that mindset. I will definitely keep you posted!

Hi PJ,

I actually ran a pet sitting business in NY for several years, and have been thinking about starting something similar once I'm all settled here in Pattaya. But I need to sort out the legality of it. However if you're looking for boarding I think it would be great comany to take care of your kitty while you're gone. It feels odd being here without any critter companions. As long as your kitten is litterbox trained they would have full roam of the house. Your dates would be the clincher - I'm staying in a hotel for October but will be moving into a house that accepts pets on 1 Nov. You can PM me if that works for you!

Kind regards,

WaatWang

Greetins, Tis is an eyewitness report of the tsunami taht hit samoa today , sent to me from a friend of the captain. WOW

...

We're all okay... and very lucky.

And we've adopted a tiny kitten.

And that's the way it is.

All the Best - All the Time,

Wow Buzz, thanks for sharing that story. My prayers go out to all of these people. I hope I never have to experience such devastation first hand. Your friends were really smart in knowing how to deal with that situation as it unfolded.

Pretty good Patsycat, but have you ever seen Tito Seif? So much more fun to watch and much more interperative IMO. I could watch him for hours!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFR38LCKDP0

Many thanks to everyone for your replies! If I have good luck like the rest of you, sounds like it will be no problem.

Wow Wolf & Maestro - I didn't expect such fast replies!

Much as I wanted the non-immigrant visa, I called the closest Consulate to me (NY) and they said I didn't qualify for it - only the Tourist visa. Why do they vary so much - I had researched other posts on here and so many people can get them in the UK -?! {sigh}

So I have a multi-entry tourist visa - max is two entries. I planned to go and stay until Christmas (doing the BHT 1,900 extension at Immigration so I could stay 90 days), then coming back in January and doing the same thing, then getting an Education Visa in March. That was the plan. But now there's this monkey wrench thrown into the mix.

So do you know if will they make me use up one of my tourist entries, or will they allow me to postpone that and just take a 30 days stamp on arrival? If they do I guess the worst thing I could do is mail it off again to the Consulate in NY when I'm back over the holidays, as I will have blown through both of them already at that point.

Thanks for your advice!

Hello,

I can't find anything about this on other threads, so please forgive me if I'm asking a question that's been asked before. I'm hoping someone here will know the answer.

I am planning to stay long term in Thailand. I already have my visa and leave in two weeks. However now the office manager in our office in Beijing has fallen ill, and my boss has asked that once I get settled in Thailand (I already have an apartment rented, etc) that I fly over to the China office for about a month and fill in there until the other manager is back on her feet. She needs to have surgery and will be out for a while.

My multi-entry visa is good through December to be used the first time. When I arrive in Bangkok in two weeks, can I request that they just do a 30 day visa on arrival? Or will they force me to use one of the 90 day entries on my visa, even though I'll only be staying a couple weeks?

Thanks in advance for any advice!