mitsubishi

First of all, the movie could have been better. I love sci-fi, this one had a lot of potential but I was not too impressed. My GF slept the whole movie so isn't that an example?!

I thought Gravity was better.

Gravity was pants..

I haven't seen it but two things deterred me: G. Clooney was in it and the fact it's about two people floating aimless and adrift as the central theme.

A while back I worked in the US and what I experienced in the cinemas/theaters there was in now way better than what's going on in Thai cinemas. One particular ethnic group seemed to relish in strolling around and making a commotion. No one ever reacted to this because of fear of the race card being played.

Why on earth were the dark folk strolling about?! Did they have ants in their pants?

We go to the movies often - once a week if the movie is worth a try....always sit in the last row possible and have to admit we've never had the OP's concerns.....we live in CM and use two of the possible 5-6 theaters here so maybe it happens in a different area....

Only thing I've noticed are conversations if a cell phone rings - but that's not often....

We aiso saw Interstellar - easy disconnected (in some ways) movie to watch and understand - we watched it in Thai but I had the feeling it wouldn't have been much better in English - the movie buffs here and the critics seem to concur although I'm sure it will be a financial success....

We split movies approx 60/40 English/Thai (language) - a lot of US movies you really don't need to see in English to easily follow......

If it's a Thai made movie (except comedy) most are pretty enjoyable as they deal with feelings (subtle) versus the explosion/car chase/gun battle/roof top jumping/car crashing stuff that comes here....those I can get weary of......

Here it's not unusual for people the wai the King at the end of the observance - I like seeing that.....

This wasn't in CM.

I go to the cinema here all the time. Never had a problem with this.

Lucky you! You either have a quiet cinema area or can tune-out local interference. For me when it's next-door neighbors it's kinda annoying and bothersome, especially hand movements and gestures. I can just about tolerate nearby noises.

First of all, the movie could have been better. I love sci-fi, this one had a lot of potential but I was not too impressed. My GF slept the whole movie so isn't that an example?!

I thought Gravity was better.

People who are more into local space films (earth orbit and moon) of planet-environmentalism etc don't tend to like Interstellar as that film is more pro-colonization and exploration. Plus maybe the fact G. Clooney and Sandra Bullock are in it gets them more into it?

A very good start on what we and our Thai wives/gf's should do to make you happy.

Please continue to post what you want done and I for one will get right on it.

I'll try.

If the film is strongly scientific or sci-fi strongly reconsider taking your partner with you, yes that sounds harsh, but would a Thai female actually like a farang Sci-Fi? Especially one that doesn't have romance as a central theme?

If she is or you're like 'I'll take my missus and to hell with you.' then expain to her NOT to talk and ask questions during the movie. It's bloody ridiculous and ruins it for you as well as others, if I don't understand part of a movie I hold my tongue and wait until I can get online to check the synopsis on wiki.

So that's the third thing you can do, translate the movies synopsis into thai, so after she's restrained her chatterbox brain until the movie ends you can whip out the pre-printed wikipedia page and all is revealed for her to understand.

Took my wife to interstellar at pattaya central. Thought wow big cinema but many turds there. To start with the guy next to me decided to bring his kfc dinner box which he opened 10 mins into movie. Koreans behind me with only one he understood english so she had to translate what was going on. Then some russian in front of me who decided to film the climax on his i phone. People moving, turning and standing up. Will only go to small late night sessions now.

Yeah, what I don't like about the late-night movies is the mall is closed when you exit so a big descent down elevators (turned off) or a big queue for the lift, plus the fact you may miss the last BTS train.

I may start getting seats in the aisle territory in future, that way at least you don't get the 'both sides' effect.

OP you don't need to calm down and you are not exaggerating at all.

First of all you will get it for telling the truth that's for sure, i hope you are prepared.

I will get it too for agreeing with you. Who cares. Let's do it.

I have never had any problem with Thais but it's a fact that when they do something, they do it with total disregard for others. This is a prime example of that. If they want to chat in the cinema while others are trying to enjoy what they paid for then they will do just that without a care in the world. Their mind just cannot understand that they are not alone in the world which is understandable. They are the never colonized nation.

Also it's well known that they can't do something just a little bit. They either don't do it or they go crazy and do it to the extreme. So expecting them not to overdo something is a strange request and i am afraid it is never going to be fulfilled.

Or give it a try and tell them next time: calm down a bit, please. The look on their face will be priceless. They are going to stare at you like you just arrived from another planet. You know like one of these challenged individuals(nobody home).

I loved your post, the way you wrote it.. You just nailed it.

Thanks friend. I know it sounds harsh on the darling ears of the 'gently gently, must go gently' brigade but I tell it like it is. If people aren't bothered by chitter-chatter during a movie you must be very thick skinned and almost blaise about the whole film experience, like the Thais are I guess.

The noisey ways of the Thais weren't too bad this time (while still annoying), but I can recall last year actually having to tell a bunch of noisy, conversationalist Thai lads, after many 'shussshes', literally 'Shut the fck up!' This was mid-movie btw and they were taking the yellow-stuff.

Amazingly, it actually worked, for all of a minute, then the shock wore off and they resumed their noises. I moved seats in the end where it was quieter.

Johnny, I would have asked to see a supervisor, to see where he would stand - it's totally ok to do so. Sorry to hear you got refused. Btw which airport was this?

I know in the USA with a proper visa of any kind (not the VWP though) you can appeal the decision and take it to a judge if DHS refuse you entry. Does Thailand have an appeals process also??

I'd have asked to speak to a supervisor, sorry to hear you got stung, 6 months is not enough to learn a language like a native speaker.

Yes there indeed is the possibility to appeal, and negotiate with the higher ups - but now Bkk Johnny revealed that he indeed didn't have the qualifications required for the visa he was entering with, so it's kind of moot point - too bad for the guy as travel isn't inexpensive.

Out of curiousity what are the qualifications required for an ED Visa? I was under the impression you had to show you actually had booked the education course via a letter for getting the visa and that was it? I never did the ED Visa route though.

They told me if i want to come back better change my passport and get a tourist visa with at least 700 usd in cash, go and back ticket, hotel bookings and a plan to visit Thailand.... they want real tourists not foreigners living here on student visas.

When I arrived recently on a tourist visa I didn't have any hotels booked and they didn't ask for anything like that. They didn't ask to see cash, didn't ask for tickets back home either! Still YMMV I guess.

They said i will be refused in other countries because of my thailand refusal stamp. They dont want to let me fly anywhere else than france.

I think they're lying to you. I could be wrong but it's worth double checking.

Maybe, if possible he could try that then try his luck at the landward border crossings in Cambodia or Malaysia.

They didnt let me in. I asked 100 times to fly anywhere else than my country and it was refused. They said the only country i can go back is France. Immigration officer told me every ed visa will be checked.

This might sound a bit un PC but are you of N. African descent? He could well have been profiling.

Johnny, I would have asked to see a supervisor, to see where he would stand - it's totally ok to do so. Sorry to hear you got refused. Btw which airport was this?

I know in the USA with a proper visa of any kind (not the VWP though) you can appeal the decision and take it to a judge if DHS refuse you entry. Does Thailand have an appeals process also??

I'd have asked to speak to a supervisor, sorry to hear you got stung, 6 months is not enough to learn a language like a native speaker.

I come from a big city in australia and am generaly polite and understand how a line works. But if i acted like some of the people here i would punched in the face. Seems like there is a tension in the air as soon as people have to start waiting for something. The person with money in hand seems to get priority followed by the person who speaks up then the person who just looks angry while the person waiting quietly can just go to hell and this happens especially when ordering food. I think i am just looking for the right moment for someone to get me on a bad day for a good excuse to knock the day lights out of him.

Spoken like a true Aussie

LOL. I think so too! He sounds like a good laugh to have around when the booze is flowing!

I can echo that with my own lugs getting a good blast of suction too!

This was in the Camillion hospital in Bangkok. 1050 baht was the damage all in.

How about - You're too old, you're a farang and most of all yerr a dirty rascal whose jizz has been well-used already!

Just joking, kinda....

So you can't own anything you can just get a 50 year lease and only 30% of a condo block can be foreign owned. Not a lot of difference to here really....

Big difference. The Thai 30 year lease cannot be inherited for one thing. Whether the Thai 30 year lease can be renewed is a bone of contention as no properties have reached the 30 years yet.. One in Phuket is about 4 years away and nobody is able to sell their lease because nobody is believing the "roll over" bit yet. Also a foreigner can own freehold if married to a local in Vietnam.

Still not a HUGE difference. As VN is still communist (no democracy) I would think leaders and rules could be changed at the stroke of a pen. Then you have general lifestyle changes compared to here.

That's exactly what comes into my head as well, mention China or Vietnam and the first warning sign into your farang head should be - Communist warning warning warning!

They don't deserve a penny from us for what they did. At least LoS tries to be pro-western instead of 'lets pretend now we're capitalists as well'.

A local politician says she intends to introduce legislation forcing fake guns sold in Ohio to be brightly colored.

Yep, make more laws.

In the meantime, maybe not allowing your twelve year old to run around publicly with such a toy, would also make him less likely not to be shot.

Yes, also if they brightly color the replica pistols the kids would just spray-paint them black anyway, it wouldn't change a thing.

==============

Still waiting for any logical debate on who the victim is/who is being hurt by someone that over-stays their visa in Thailand. Not like a foreigner can apply for asylum nor government aid in Thailand.

Anyone? Anyone?

Its not hurting anyone much that's for sure, a very small loss of revenue. The reason so many Nigerians are here illegally is due to their past situation. Before they built a Thai embassy in Nigeria the only way they could get a visa was via London which was very difficult. Instead many proffesionals and students chose to buy fake visas and enter illegally. Obviously this was not the correct way to go about it but these are very poor people leaving a country where daily risks include house invasions by armed gangs. Many Nigerians have come simply to bettertheir llives, unfortunately it doesn't work out for all and some have turned to crime ruining the name of all of them. Strange how the criminal farrangs never seem to ruin the name of their countries in the small minds of these same people.

Don't make excuses liberal, if they wanted a better life then they ought to head back home and fix their ruined country! Many of us on here, myself included go back and forth legally, pay our way and support our home countries so they can shuffle their carcasses back to mother Africa and get with the program.

21 rounds really aren't that many especially considering that there were at least 2 shooters. I can see only two places they struck the windshield. Maybe they also hit it in the side.

The 9mm had to be a handgun which takes training and practice for accuracy, and I have no idea what the 11mm was. Maybe that's about translation. The only 11mm's I'm aware of are older Japanese and Belgium rifles but where would they get ammo for them? The closest thing I know of to an 11mm handgun would be a couple of old French and German guns.

Life is cheap in Thailand.

11mm is a .45ACP in Thaispeak. It's not *exactly* .45ACP but close enough for the journalist to stick in for the masses.

Theoretically 9mm carbines also, but likely pistols

Why would they search a church for drug use, Thai cops using racial profiling?.

Time to educate some of you on the drugs trade:

On Nut is close to the conduit for the drugs trade from outside Bangkok in and those Nig. are heavily involved in it. The use the Skytrain to bring the drugs across the city and the bus terminal in Ekkamai is the main artery.

I've seen with my own eyes how they do it and the BiB are busting them left right and center.

There have always been plenty of weirdos here, but there are WAY more normal Westerners than when I first got here. It was nothing but oddballs back then - other than me of course.

It seems to me the changes in Bangkok have been:

More pensioners

More holiday tourists

More mainstream / liberal types

More farang spawning thai-farang brats

More Digital Nomads.

Less backpackers and adventurer types.

Less independent travelers

Less oddballs (they've gone elsewhere)

I was talking to an old eccentric monger back in the day, even then he told me Bangkok had lost it's magic and this was back in 2000! The upmarket trend is increasing all the way across Sukumvit, a lot of the old characterful buildings are being knocked down and silly expensive ones are going up in there place.

A few months ago I told one of my friends that the military will clean this place up and they are, slowly. They seem to be concentrating on a few things and then moving onto something else. The local pill dealers where I live have all been swept away. I feel this will be a trend, unlike the crackdowns of the past, this one is not designed to grab a few headlines. We are already seeing big heads roll and I think this is just the start.

Also, please remember that this scam is not a reflection on Thai people as a whole. There are bad apples everywhere.

Be careful what you wish for, you could end up with it being a lot more than just petty crime but more along the lines of what Toxin set out to do back in 2001.

A lot of farang living the free-wheeling dream could end up being being swept away as well.