Anyse

Jean Paul Sarte wrote about such a thing. What he stated is that, when people look over some point and a great height, the become afraid of the distane and the fear of how far down that is. However, he stated that this is the "common notion" so to speak. What HE pointed out was that it it not the fear of the height but of the impulse for one to actually jump into that abyss. I think that he had it right!

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So how does it work? You spray your anus without using toilet paper? Do thais use their fingers to "clean" the anus by rubbing or scrubbing? If so, how do they clean their fingers when 90% of the time, there is no soap and no toilet paper in the restroom? Do they just rinse their finger really well? They once outside, they get some sticky rice, form it into a ball, then give it to their hubby to eat? Do Thais even think about the spread of bacteria? Or is it, "mai pen rai", don't think about it?

A serious answer first.

Yes you spray without using toilet paper, the spray cleans far better than paper and there is no chance of fingers going through the paper.

Unlike using paper there is no need to get fingers of hands involved at all, other than holding the spray gun.

Most public toilets have at least hand basins and many liquid soap as well.

Now we get a little less serious.

How do you think the rice gets sticky ? Of course they don't wash their hands but it does however need a combination of bum wiping and nose picking to get the correct consistency.

Bon apatite.

My the first hygiene for cooking post for 2015. Another record! :-)

People seldom regret what they did do and, all too often, on their death beds, regret what they did not do. Go for it. I went to Thailand with a pension and very little money. Now, I have a business here in Ha Noi! I regret NOTHING!

Go for it dear friend! Remember Rosanne Rosannadana!

BIll Morrisey wrote a good song about how easy it is to write a song or to catch a woman with a smile, but impossible to keep. I don't think that he was really a cynic, but a realist, having won and lost many times in my own life I think it is true. This man will learn when he is older, as I have. I am a woman, not a man, so just think lesbian, OK?

How long has this kind of thing been going on here? I hate it. It saddens me. I see it in the US in other forms no less appalling. Now, I see it here. I hope that these autocratically-thinking Thais get their comeuppance.

"The foundation of every state is the education of its youth" Diogenes

HE also meant those not of the slave class!

A neighbor's son came to see me for a weekend and even brough his English book with him. His class in on page 76 and I took a simple exercise from page 12. He simple could not do it or even figure out what it was that needed to be done! Well, did he sleep through that class? It was a very simple exercise! So, from this, I know that they are wasting their time by not making English a complete part of the curriculum with English work done in every class throughout the school day, not just some rote work done for 45 minutes with no indivitual attenttion to correct or to guide students in English individually . . . . Sad.

I would take what Leonard Cohen called and "invincible retreat" in any case . . . .

Can you make a list of the pics for each month as well as those at the end of the file?

Thank you.

suay is fine but the food is really weak for a supposedly trendy high quality restaurant. The dishes are good but not good enough to be sold at a restaurant id say. Still a lot better than most places in phuket since phuket and quality dont go hand in hand.. only money goes with phuket.

Nice place though.

what have you eaten at SUAY to find the food "really weak"? i'm a big fan of the place-had an ace meal and enjoyable evening each time i've been there. difference of opinions i suppose, but would be curious to know why you think the food isn't good enough to be sold in a restaurant?

I have eaten there and I am going to go back again and again. Here is my review of my meal there:

What a lovely place! It has an “open” area in the middle with walls around it and the doors open at each end, giving it an “open” sense of space and being. On the outside were many tables all around the main dining area. The light green paint with a deep brown trim was more than perfect and so lovely as well. Well, I just ordered a loganberry drink, telling them that I was waiting for my other people. Loganberry is a bit of a heavy drink with a strong taste that, if diluted, becomes much easier to drink. It was almost like syrup and there were about 10 loganberries floating on the top of the ice as well. It is a purple/brown color. The taste is rather unique. I try to eat something new every day here in Thailand and this was “new” to me. It was a great complement to my meal. Well, I got tired of waiting for my “guests” and then I ordered the broiled duck in a red curry sauce with lichee nuts. When the dish came, I was ecstatic with the presentation alone. Usually, when one has a red curry sauce, it is muddy looking and like a gravy in some ways. This was, however, clear and red as a rose! I don’t know how they did it but it was so spectacular looking with the sauce, the lychee nuts, the pineapple, small cherry tomatoes and what looked like capers that were more than twice the usual size. All of it was so tasty! The duck was succulent and so fresh and the sauce was perfect for it. Not overly spicy but certainly spicy enough to bring out the contrasts in flavors, textures and the “feel” in the mouth that makes one want more and more. Well, I ate it, rotating the tomatoes, pineapple, capers and duck so that I could taste everything clearly and fully. What a joy it was to my palate! This was, to me, the BEST dish that I have eaten here in the past 4 months here! No bones about it (yep, there were no bones in the duck at all), it was great. I also want to comment that the skin on the duck was thin and not a lick of fat or excess. I had a side of jasmine rice with it and used the rice like any normal Thai person: gathering rice on my large spoon and also the duck or whatever (maybe a bit of extra sauce as well) with it and then eating it from my spoon. Thais do not eat with forks at all! Forks are used only to manipulate the food into the spoon and to cut it as well, if necessary.

Next, I had an Aussie “Kaiser Schmarrn.” This is an egg-batter pancake, much thicker than a blintz with a lovely sweet cream sauce (I think that there was some brandy in it as well), sugar, and raisins soaked in rum inside of the folds of the “Schmarrn.” The taste reminded me of a great hot toddy I had once that was so perfect and so flavorful as it was not overly cast by the rum. Well, this succulent, yet somewhat heavy, dessert was more than fabulous. I ate all of it. I will definitely have this again.

Following that, I also decided on crepes Suzette. The crepes were thin, delicate and perfectly cooked. On the outside there were some grapefruit slices (3 of them) and it was folded such that it was like 4 crepes in one. Also, on the outside were orange rinds dyed a deep red. The contrasting colors were remarkable. Also, there was a nice mango ice cream with it that was perfect! Not too sweet and not too tart. Everything complemented the others and it was a lovely sight to behold. Now, when I took that first bite, I was so reminded of the crepes I had in France as the Grand Marnier was well distributed and not overdone as I have had it in some other places in the States. Each bite was a delicacy of its own! A bit or not a bit of red orange peeling, some of the lovely sauce and a bit of ice cream. Each flavor played off of the other on my palate and made my mouth dance its own little private jig while eating it. Again, it was not only the food, but the presentation, which added to its mystery as well as each dish’s own mysteries to delve into until it was all figured out by the end of each dessert. I know I will go back there. Oh, yes, the price. I bet you may think that this was about a $40-50 dinner. Actually, to me, it was. However, the duck was only 170 bht and the two deserts were 160 baht, making my bill an astronomical 330 bht ($10.33). This was a dinner that, in the States, would have cost at least $50 if not $100! The entire meal was well prepared, served without any hurry and with the nicest people. Even the chef came out to talk with me to ask me about the food. I could not but tell him that this was the BEST food I have had in all of my time in Thailand so far.

Well, I hope to go back again as there are 2 desserts I have yet to try as well as some other dish or two that may suit my fance when I get there. In the meantime, I will be going through the menu to see what I can come up with that will be interesting, lively and beautiful, which is what “suay” means in Thai.

Anyse

Where does one get the "you get what you pay for" for this meal? I just think that "thailand" is way off on this one. I would like to know more about the meal!

Volunteer at a local school's English program! You can learn more, gain more confidence and even have a letter of recommendation! Good luck!

Also, they are not lowering the standards in government schools. They will take someone who has no teacher credential, but will take the certificated person first. The news out that Phuket lowered their standards was a "bad" headline as, in the article itself, it states that they need 100 certificated teachers, not TEFL certified!

Anyse

I just had the same problem. What I did was write to the Emigration Services and sent them a "Lost Passport" form with the Arrival card (TM-6?), saying it was lost. In less than a week, a woman called me from emigration and told me what my arrival card number is! She said I did not need the card but that the number is most important. Also, your last card that you got when you went on your visa run is a new number and it should be the one that you use.

I am very impressed with the service I got. I sent my letter to Bangkok, during the floods, and wondered what would happen. I sent in everything: copy of my passport, the forms an SASE and the whole nine yards. When she called me, she told me that she did so because there was no need for her to return everything as I only needed the number. I mailed my forms on a Thursday evening and she called me on Wednesday morning very early!

So, there is a practical answer if you have the time do to so.

Take care,

Anyse

Every now abd then I am now finding ticks on my body and in some rather wierd places as well! LOL!l My dog gets the shots and is doing very well. I can't find a single tick or flea on him and he is a white poodle with short hair and that should say it all! So, yesterday, I actually found one between the kuckles of my fingers hanging on. Yes, he was a "new" one in the neighborhood. Well, I have found only 5 in the past 2 months. I know that he is getting them from the garden, whcih is huge. I guess I should spray the garden with flea and tick spray. Once, I had a pump bottle and actually put a blend of 25% bleach and 75% water and it worked wonderfully. Thank you for the information as I am very happy with the shots, which are quarterly and work amazingly well on my 7.5 lb. miniature poodle. He has a "girlfriend" at Baantommy (a cageless kennel in Rawai) named Tina and she is a Shi Tzu (sic?). He is very happy here! Because he is so happy, I am happy as well!

Thank you all.

With the new computer being made in India for only $40 for students, I can see a reversal in offering up iPads and other such devices. It seems that this was very good timing and will save a lot of money so that more students will have these devices. So, maybe they won't get Samsung or Apple notepads. However, if this computer, built in India can be had at a discount/bulk pricing, this may be the best thing that has happened in the past 2 days.

Only here can a very small thing be turned to &lt;deleted&gt; for whatever reason. The guy's telling us what he read and he "get's it" for it! I often wonder if I would dare try to help on here at times.

My own experience with tuk-tuks in Phuket has been abysmal. Last night, I could not hire my usual green-plated taxi (I have her phone number) because it was too late at night. I got a ride from one to my hotel, not far from Jungceylon. Here is the dialog:

Me: Are you available?

T: 400 baht!

M: No, not 400 baht!

T: 300 baht.

M: No, the law says 200 in Patong.

T: OK. Deal. Where go?

M: Name of hotel.

T: On hill?

M: Yes.

T: 200, not hill.

M: My money is in my room. I can't pay if you do not go up the hill.

T: Not hill.

M: OK. I will find someone else.

T: OK. Deal. 200 baht

My ride was pleasant and such and then, when we got there, I went up, got the money, came down, showed him the money and he counted out 600 baht for change for my 1000 baht! (I kept the 1000 in my hand.)

M: No! That is wrong!

T: Madam (unintelligible scramble to try to tell me that one of the bills was a 500 baht note, which was a lie).

I went to the reception of my hotel and got change for my 1000 baht note and paid him his 200 baht!

Yes, I am an older, single woman here in Patong! I have NEVER heard an offer for a tuk-tuk or car taxi for less than 300 and, more often, for 400. I only use tuk-tuks when required and I can't use any other transport (even walking). I have been through this drill again and again and, after a month, it gets more than old and, knowing more about this than the average farang, saddening. Yes, SADDENING. These drivers are, ultimately, shooting themselves in their own feet! Now, one member of the EU has reported that there may be a general warning to all EU travelers to Phuket NOT to use tuk-tuks! Too dangerous. I love this place. The people are good, kind and ready to give you the shirt off of their backs, even when you don't need it! Unfortunately, it is this one group in Phuket, white-plated tuk-tuks, that can spoil it for everyone and put the people of Phuket back economically in ways that they can ill afford. I have read these reports over the years and, in the past year, they have become worse and worse in terms of rising abuse, beatings and simple "highway" robbery.

Is it strange that my, green-plate tuk-tuk driver does not like to work at night here in Patong? I find it difficult to even locate a green-plate tuk-tuk at night here. What if she did come to get me that late? Could something have happened to her? I can only surmise.

Thank you for reading.

I will be living in a 2 bdr older Thai style home in the southern reaches of Phuket Town. It has a huge living room, dining area/kitchen, front patio, large flat area (called a "terrace") and a back area, just as huge, for whatever as well as a "garden" area bigger than the house. It is also 800 sq. meters. Only 2 km from Lotus Tesco but in one of those roads off of a road off of the main road going south from Phuket Town. I pay 12K BHT (how can I make the baht symbol?) per month with a large yard for my dog. Does not include utilities. It is in a Thai neighborhood; there is not a farang to be seen here! I do not know if this is good or if it is bad! LOL! Yes, I brought my dog with me. I have come here to teach English. I like the quiet. Also there is a Tesco food market 4 minutes away that sells its meat and baked goods at half off at 7 pm every day!

I have not seen one REFERENCE yet! I am using its4thai.com to learn how to read Thai and it is a very good program and inexpensive. 2 courses and 60 lessons that make you work! Also, at http://howtolearnthai.com/thai-alphabet-flash-cards/, you can get cards for BOTH the vowels and consonants at, I think, $6US, each. I bought 2 sets of each as I am doing some wierd things with mine that require 2 sets. I take out the consonants and vowels that I am learning at its4thai.com and work with them. I do not want to have to rely on any transliteration system to learn to speak or read Thai as such a crutch only inhibits learning the language more directly and more quickly.

If anyone is interested in "teaming up" to learn Thai reading and writing, I would be happy to do so as it would give us practice and work in learning better. My name is Anyse and I live in Phuket.

I went, I got the simm and I got 200 BHT of credit put on and have a phone number. What a great day so far!

Karen

Thank you so much! IT was all too easy! Also, the people were really helpful.

Thank you very much. I will go to that site. One of my problems is how to get it! Do I go to a store and buy the sim and top-off card/data/voice plan and that is it? Where or which one as I am in Patong for the next 5 weeks . . . I am tired and have much to do before starting to work next week. I am trying to just get "settled" as quicly as possible. So, I will go there now, where you suggested and, if I have any questions that they can not answer, I will come back and punish you a bit more! LOL! Thank you so much for your help.

Karen

Thank you for your kind as well as quick and thoughtful response. I am seeking ultimate simplicity. I don't want to have to even think about using my cell phone during the month and whether or not these many hours or minutes have been exceeded. I don't know how much I will even use this phone. However, as I settle in more and more and am teaching, I am sure that this will rise accordingly. Therefore, the easier to use, the better!

Can you share any details re: your requirements/budget? - I am wanting to get the best for as little as possible. Even 1500BHT/mo is not overwhelming to me.

Do you call internationally? No, I have no plans to do so at all.

How many minutes/SMS/MMS per month? I have friends in the US who like to use this more than I do. I want unlimited, just in case.

Pre-paid or post-paid? I would pay monthly, via bank withdrawal to phone company . . .

Mobile data requirements? Unlimited!

If 3G is important , where do you spend most of your time in Thailand? Can I really get 3G with a GMS (or is it GSM) phone. Mine does not support 2100 but all others below that.

http://www.thaimobil...otion/index.asp

Stand-alone/layered data-only plans run 790 - 999 for unlimited plans. : I really do not even understand what this means! I am a total novice.

Your phone appears to support 900/1900/2100 so if you require 3G you'd have to go with AIS/One-2-Call. It would also work with TOT/MVNOs, but those come with many, many issues and limitations.

I have a Sony Ericsson Experia x10 mini with GPS, GSM (or is it GMS?), quad-band, wifi, blu-tooth, and all that. Now, I want to have an unlimited call/data plan for this phone. Where can I get it and what will it cost? I have seen estimates up to about 1000BHT/mo. I just am not sure . . . HELP!

Thank you,

Karen

Apple will be in business for a long time because they, like Microsoft and other HUGE companies protect their bread-and-butter products through law suits. This is the "new" business model! I do not like a lot of modern business practices; however, if one does not protect one's inventions then others are all to eager to rip them off. Maybe you should blame Samsung! Hating Apple and not Samsung for "teasing this person with a new product sounds like the vendors in Phuket protesting because they are not making money as they have been forced not to sell anymore counterfeit goods! Rather silly, really.