NaiGreg

John of John's Place had a nice go-go bar adjacent to his watering hole.

The soapy shower show was scheduled twice a night if I remember correctly.

@NaiGreg: thanks for your post. I've only been in CM for 2 years. Do you like it better now than 15 years ago?

We moved out to the burbs (Mae Rim) in 2005, so a little bit like apples and oranges. But life is quite good, just the same. Now we are seeing growth, and a lot more foreign residents, in Mae Rim. Another surprise.

My wife is khon mueang which (I think) has helped me understand life here a little better than some others. Maybe not.

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He's right about elephants roaming the streets, not wild elephants but nonetheless elephants wanting food at the bars in Chiang Mai. I have been here a little longer and well remember them.

" Elephants still roamed the streets then . . . everywhere"

A tad overstating it. Truth - a few elephants with mahouts begging......

Yes, I should have said remaining elephants were not just entertaining tourists at the Night Bazaar. They were making the rounds around town. Even Nimmanhemin which was a quieter place then.

All set. I got the reply I needed.

Thanks.

I see Toy's R Us has some stuff but I suspect it may be overpriced junk.

Thanks for any quick replies! (before Christmas!)

-NG

The translation:

"Forbidden" Pooping in the water.

Fine 50,000 Baht.

But you already knew that.

NG

I saved 50,000 Baht by avoiding this embarassing situation at the local pool. You can, too!

This particular sign leads us back to reason #2. General amusement at silly sign translations.

-NG

[background=#fafbfb]ม่วนยุจ้าพี่ต้อย  [/size][/background]

[background=#fafbfb]young people's spelling is riddles with typos and errors, deliberate or not it takes some guessing at times to work out the meaning.[/size][/background]
[background=#fafbfb]Here I'd say 'having fun Pi Doi' [/size][/background]

So the Google translation (" a baby boy is coming , muan yun ") is right on the money! They're improving.

 

From Sanook Dict:

at any cost   เป็นอย่างไรก็เป็นกัน

 

and from w3dictionary

at any cost  IDM. ไม่ว่าอย่างไรก็ตาม

 

 

I was wondering if there are any well-known phrases that express the willingness to sacrifice in order to achieve a goal. (something more than a pig's head)

Good to know. Thanks.

Is there a Thai phrase for "at all costs/by any means (necessary)" ?

 

Thanks,

NG

 

Does the English [unofficial ?] conjunction and/or have a Thai equivalent?

 

Thanks,

NG

 

เงิบ - does it mean embarrassing or shocking? Or something else? Is it teen slang or in general use? Any good examples?

 

Thanks,

NG

 

 

Under the tree : ใต้ต้นไม้ : short or long

รถไฟใต้ดิน : short or long

The south : ภาคใต้ : long only

พัทยาใต้ : long only

 

 

So, could we generalize and say that ใต้ is short or long when meaning 'under' but always long when meaning 'south' ?

If so, that is the only irregularly pronounced word I am aware of that has a conditional pronunciation based on meaning rather than on position in a compound.

It's irregular.  It's always pronounced long, though written as if short.
 
Dictionaries sometimes get this stuff wrong.  Benjawan Poomsan Becker is particularly notable in this respect, basing vowel length upon the written spelling, rather than the common pronunciation.

Thanks. You're right about the dictionaries getting it wrong sometimes.

thai-language.com has it as both short/long
Paiboon Publishing app has it as long
SEAlang dict. has it as long
thai2english has it short

I see conflicting information in dictionaries and other references on the pronunciation of ใต้ (dtâai (long) vs. dtâi (short))

Are there any hard-and-fast rules for this? Any times it is mid-length?

 

Thanks,

NG

 

A sea is not an ocean that's why its's called a sea and not an ocean. I guess you were not chair of the geography department at your college in the USA ... did you ride horses along the Great Lakes beaches like that WhipperSnapper guy? Who ever heard of driving a tanker -- guess you weren't a harbor pilot either.

It is perfectly acceptable to use the terms "ocean" and "sea" interchangeably for coastal waters, in casual conversation. They are not exactly the same but they are not mutually exclusive, either. Mr.Crab was not here for the 2004 tsunami, apparently. It was in Indian Ocean waters, destroying much of coastal Thailand.

It is perfectly acceptable for landlubbers to use the term "driving" a boat, lot's of boaters do it, too. But 'piloting', 'steering', 'sailing' or 'handling' should be used when appropriate.

-NG

1. I was here for the 2004 Tsunami. When there is an earthquake a sea can experience waves. Otherwise a sea does not have waves barring a typhoon.

2. Ill informed landlubbers might talk about driving a boat; but consider that the person who said it has never claimed not to be an expert in anything.

Oh, my! A sea does not have waves? The Andaman sea, like other ocean seas, has ocean waves and ocean tides. Perhaps you are talking about the Sea of Cortez, or the Dead Sea.

A sea is not an ocean that's why its's called a sea and not an ocean. I guess you were not chair of the geography department at your college in the USA ... did you ride horses along the Great Lakes beaches like that WhipperSnapper guy? Who ever heard of driving a tanker -- guess you weren't a harbor pilot either.

It is perfectly acceptable to use the terms "ocean" and "sea" interchangeably for coastal waters, in casual conversation. They are not exactly the same but they are not mutually exclusive, either. Mr.Crab was not here for the 2004 tsunami, apparently. It was in Indian Ocean waters, destroying much of coastal Thailand.

It is perfectly acceptable for landlubbers to use the term "driving" a boat, lot's of boaters do it, too. But 'piloting', 'steering', 'sailing' or 'handling' should be used when appropriate.

-NG

Amazing.

Newbie Thai-language learners get frustrated picking up a difficult language and blame (1) the แม่ค้า selling som-tam (thanks for the giggle, rlopes) and (2) the entire (xenophobic, should-have-been-colonized) nation of Thailand (thanks for the laugh, David)

Funny and disturbing at the same time!

I see a lot of TV members are apoplectic with the current Thai political situation and the most recent coup d'etat.

Whether you support the coup, despise it or are confused by it all, consider being armed with a better understanding of 20th century Thai political history before you compose your next TV diatribe.

Here is a list of the last 5 chapters of "A History of Thailand", Baker and Phonpaichit, 2005, Cambridge University Press.

5. Nationalisms, 1910s-1940's

6. The American Era and Development, 1940s to 1960s

7. Ideologies, 1940s to 1970s

8. Globalization and Mass Society, 1970s Onward

9. Politics, 1970s Onward (up to Thaksin's first term as PM)

You can find this book in the Fact-is-stranger-than-fiction department. It's a short book, easy reading even for bar-stool pundits. Highly recommended.

-NG

So many bars come and go through the years. Where do all the bar accessories go when an establishment is turned over? I'm not opening a bar but I am looking for a beverage-brand neon sign (Chang, Singh, 100 Pipers, Johnny Walker, Coke, etc.)for my attached entertainment patio. If no brand signs are available I'll like to get my hands on an old neon bar name sign (Anyone remember the old Voodoo Lounge? circa 1999)

I had the same experience with a non-Thai Samsung phone model last year. They offered no explanation, just refused to service it despite the fact I was a cash customer. I ordered parts from the US and fixed it myself.

It's not unbelievable at all to anyone who thinks that Thais are simply ordinary people with all the quirks and fallibilities that the rest of us have.

Agreed. I've always said that, in my experience, Thais are just like real people.

Good story.

http://www.bigsmile-chiangmai.com/

Dr. Supachai is excellent.

Yes he is. He has been my dentist since 1999.