BigStar

Clint's last moments and death seem well-kept secrets indeed. You may want to sell that info to the celebrity sites and make a killing. Jack LaLanne's a good example.

Ah, just a Freudian slip. Your credit, rescinded. It's entirely your responsibility, not theirs, to perform your own prior due diligence whether what they're offering is worth your cash to you. Hence you can end your countless little whinges about how they're not doing, and didn't do, what you'd like. Yep, they don't owe you a d.a.mn thing. You think you can find that champagne on a beer budget you've always thought you should have, go find it and report back. Reminds me of a P. D. Mangan tweet the other day. There's nothing that gets people more upset than telling them that they might be responsible for their problems. He gets a lot of grief as a fitness trainer when he refuses to accept all the usual excuses. Anyway, works well for me. What I buy, I usually find more than worth paying for. I tend to appreciate the intrinsics as well. And I also receive quite a lot free of charge, 'cause I don't need to pay. It's an entirely different mindset, you see; it's perceived as such and rewarded. ???? And so they of course didn't and then took all your cash, since it's all you really had to offer. Therein we find a reason you're stuck shovelling dirt in NZ and longing to get back to Pattaya. Only karma, eh. I do my humble part, sustainably, without the usual Delusions of Farang Grandeur, along with the other expats who live here--while you merely point fingers from abroad accompanied by gratuitous well-seasoned Economic Advice. Moreover, Pattaya's doing pretty well considering the global devastation wrought by COVID. It's another crowded weekend, in fact. Having had my own walk on the beach, I may later head in for the Bikini Beach Run and a party afterwards. Now I dunno how many "people" will actually attend, so that may be a particular issue for you, but a lot of businesses will certainly benefit. Nor do you have the slightest evidence that any more tourists, including "people" looking to exploit impoverished girls, would be arriving even anyone paid attention to your whinges and redressed them. Before COVID, Pattaya had about 9 million international visitors, making it a top resort in SE Asia already. That, just doing what it does, same as it always has. It could do with far fewer tourists, actually. Your goal should be to shrink the economy back to the 1995 level.???? So the urgent need for "more" is mostly forum rhetoric for justifying posters' superior wisdom and bigotry. Nonetheless, the big money, paying no attention as usual to forum Economists--or perhaps using them as a reverse indicator--is planning for more, not less. Ironically, more of your people wouldn't be much attracted by all the improvements mandated by the members of the ace ANF Urban Planning Governance Board. That's cause their main problem is they're skint. Drop the THB to 100/GBPeso and then you'll see a flood.

It's nice to see the racism and naked bigotry on the forum admitted. So, we'll give you that, and hope that more of our Brits (most often) and Commonwealth members will come out as well. Maybe preface statements with something like, "I'm a racist bigot, so here's what I think." ???? So much more honest. The old mongers did their bit, no? We'll always wish them well. Hic! Still, Pattaya generously provides flophouses and monger entertainment to meet the current market. Too generously, in fact. Exactly. In turn, they should feel no responsibility to make your life better.???? But as noted, I do feel my life is also better than in the old days, overall. So they've been doing OK. OH--could they do better? HOW LONG? Heh. Love this forum.

I can give you such a list from more than a decade ago and similar complaints in the 90s, including about the supposedly great Promenade then. Now this has always been one of our fave recreations here, esp. by the Brits but even disaffected miserable members of the Commonwealth. Moreover, we have the great Whinge thread of perennial, long-standing, never-ending complaints. I don't know that one of these problems has ever been resolved: Nonetheless, after all the thousands of whinges, dire prophecies, and obituaries over the decades--as Ulysses G. (miss that guy) wrote on March 9, 2007: How many Pattaya Sucks threads do we need anyway? ???? --which our members greatly enjoyed then and do now as well, no matter how ridiculous those Prophecies seem in retrospect (ooh-we don't like them quoted!) Pattaya's tourism trade and economic growth continued anyway and rather impressively, DUH. And I'd bet with the big players that the trend will continue. You may continue to blather how it can't happen all you wish, same old stuff. It obviously gives life a lot of meaning that would otherwise be absent.

We've been over that before, yawn. I've quoted for you a contemporary account listing some reprehensible flaws. Oh, you didn't notice any of them--then. Too busy enjoying Connect4, I suppose. Hee. So it would be with anything I noted. And I found a video for you showing some of the flaws regularly condemned here, which you rationalized away. You've forgotten all of that previous discussion. Indeed, you've forgotten the negative points you yourself have brought up from that period. And you'd quickly forget any refresher I gave you. Moreover, some things I really liked flew by you; other things I didn't, you either didn't notice wouldn't care about. So, enough of the wasting time and giving you the rub of attention you seek. Oh, it mostly is, except that we have to take into account selective perception where you failed to observe the bad bits that others did at the time and documented them. But you don't like my bringing up the past, so I guess you'll just have to trust me on that point.????

Still cheap (relatively), pre-COVID had more people than ever making money and more happy visitors than ever. Now recovering; that'll take time, obviously. COVID has been a big happy money maker for certain narrow segments, everywhere. At the expense of the tourist and other sectors. Better, for far more people than before. Some sectors did better, economically, than others, as they always do in the course of time. I liked some things much better about Old Pattaya and am sad they're gone. But not everything; and I don't miss the bad points. I also like much about the new Pattaya; my needs are met, and I'm comfortable. Guess I don't find it that difficult to adapt to change. But if I did, I'd hardly roll up into a foetal position and cry. Nobody's responsible for your own happiness but you. Incredible as it may seem here, I always find myself in similar company in Pattaya. I only encounter whingers exaggerating the "problem" posed by the irregular pavements, flooding a few times a year during low season, etc., here on the forum. Traffic, now, is a frequently mentioned topic among "normal" expats, but we work around it, just as back home. It's hardly that imagined Nail In The Coffin our doomsters and haters try to portray it as. We have a very narrow definition of "people" here, of course; for many, it's reminiscent of claims that "the darkies used to be so much happier as slaves on their plantations." Flip a few satang, get nice smiles and servility. I dunno how cheerful "they" need to be, actually. In general, the world became a less cheerful place following the ubiquity of social media. It's been remarked in many places other than Pattaya.

Technique I learned is to turn it over and press the cap against the counter top to compress the spring, then hold the edge of the cap to release.

I find scary the idea of a Thai woman near a straight razor. You may recall a lyric in "Poke Salad Annie:" Everybody says it was a shame 'Cause her momma was a workin' on the chain gang (A wretched, spiteful, straight-razor totin' woman, heh-heh)

Easy, of course, but utterly pointless, as you'd simply ignore, deflect illogically, move the goalpost, throw out a red herring to exaggerate, repeat a meaningless anecdote, come out with another irrelevant hypothetical, repeat more nonsense, forget, or simply lie. No, thanks; been there, done that a number of times, as have most of us here. Carry on.????

Exactly. What box to put your paper in, and where! Sometimes there's a colored line of tape to lead you to the correct room. Ahhh! ???? Often the numbers are displayed, as at Immigration, but not always. Sometimes they'll just call out the number. Try to sit near someone with numbers just before your own.???? I mean, if you didn't learn the first thing you should have learned. And they'll typically call out your name. Sometimes there's also no amplification. So, you got to listen up. Hard of hearing? You got a problem.

Very true. I'd add that low carb doesn't require much discipline before long because you lose your desire for the baddies you thought you could never, ever give up. Most discipline is needed at the beginning. Here belief comes in, as most can't or won't believe they'll no longer care for, oh, pies, pastries, and pizza.

High fat, wrong fat, high carb. Worst combo.

Not a problem. At gov't offices I've occasionally resorted to a note written in Thai either written by my gf or a Google translation. I suggest members resort to written notes as needed. The main problem at gov't hsps is getting the procedures down as you wend your eventual way to the doc. It's all rather primitive. The information desk may not be very helpful. Prepare to feel like a bumbling fool or lost child at times. But the ladies are quite helpful and mostly patient. They are, after all, quite busy.

World class. I bought about 6 tubs of it in the USA when it came on sale as the old "ripe banana" formulation was being discontinued. Best you can buy now in Thailand, AFAIK.

Have you tried a safety razor to arrive at that opinion or is it merely hot air? I suspect most of those opposed the idea haven't actually tried it and don't know anything. Wetshaving is mainly about cost savings. Other benefits may accrue as well, as most have found.

A doomster post never expires, as you've reminded us by gloating that your ancient warning had come true when COVID decimated the Pattaya economy--which of course had nothing to do with your "reasons" for prophesying Pattaya's coming ruin. They were only about the imagined neglect and mistreatment of tourists, notably mongers. But years later you doubled down on the Central Festival prophecy by inventing the Stalls of Doom Indicator: vendor stalls in front of the mall in the evenings meant it was in financial trouble. 'Course, Central Marina had had such stalls, permanently, since the 90s. And since you're now claiming that Indians and Chinese will thwart Pattaya's success, it's only fair to bring up your track record. You may not like it, but it has nothing whatsoever to do with stalking. I at first made a very deliberate attempt to avoid mentioning your moniker, did I not? And I of course have no file on anyone--no one's of any importance here, except in their own minds--but I do happen to have a pretty good memory. Indeed, I make it a point to take care of it, best I can. ????

That’s not really the point under discussion. The goalpost was moved, as is typical. But your statement does add to the nonsense, merely yet another example of the Complex Question fallacy—squared, lol. No point in addressing it; plenty of ignorant bigots here will agree with you, including the forum’s Chief Troll. Feel comforted. I’ll note in passing that success and "what works" is in the eye of the beholder. Your definition of a successful Pattaya under the great Golden Egg Layers: But diverse international tourists, domestic tourists, thousands of Thais in newly created respectable jobs outside the prostitution racket, and the Thailand economy define a more successful Pattaya thus: With an economy, oh, at least 5 times larger. And all this happened after the Golden Egg Layers ran out of golden eggs owing to gross mismanagement of their own domestic economies and headed for the exits--declaring Pattaya DEAD.???? And it was of course after your infamous fatuous prophecy that “Central World” would fail because nobody would pay Bangkok prices. ???? So that trend of catering to international and more middle-class tourists looks to continue, barring cataclysmic events. Now TAT: ANF doesn’t recognize domestic tourists, non-white tourists, or EEC, of course. But EEC also real and coming, as anyone traveling on Sukhumvit from Sirircha to U-Tapao (new second runway planned) can attest. One thing you don’t see, among the buildings going up, are more open-air beer bars, cheap flophouses, or even more go-gos. On the contrary, though some have re-opened, most remain closed, demolished, or for sale. It’s only a few of our ace ANF Economists placing any bets on a big revival of the old monger market and deluding themselves about its significance in the new Pattaya.

He's in the process of getting it and would be gratified to know, if capable, that he's being useful for instructional purposes, like those who will their bodies to science.

We got a lot of domestic tourists and expats coming in from BKK on the weekends and esp. holidays. Festivals being promoted vigorously. Tourists are trickling in. So the two main malls doing well before COVID are surviving rather well and in no danger of failing. But, like CM, Pattaya did unquestionably become overbuilt, not only in malls but in bars and restos as well. Devastation is evident. The economic center of gravity has shifted to North Pattaya.

More accurately, the Pattaya forum, home of moans and whinges. More than four years ago, the brilliant JSixpack collected almost all of them in the great Hit and Run Pattaya "whinge" Thread: So this thread has inevitably degenerated into whinges and doom predictions that don't represent the larger expat community or even the tourists. Should be closed.

Tourists universally come to tourist towns/resorts to enjoy short-term fixes. Pattaya has its offerings, short and long. ???? But Pattaya has great variety, often unexplored. The long-term residents I know are still happy to be here and to return here after they've been away. Now on the forum, we do of course have some leaving, to self-generated fanfare, owing to infection by the hellish brain-eating Whither Thailand? Whither Pattaya? space monkeys. Clinically, if you ever wish to consult a medical professional, it's called primary space monkey meningoencephalitis (PSMM). These poor victims can no longer adapt to our beloved Land of Smiles. But most long-term expats seem to leave for some pragmatic reason, often financial, such as to take advantage of free healthcare or free schooling for the kids back home.

What it was yesterday. One of those delusions of farang grandeur that keep posters posting here. Now the entire Thai economy was supposed to collapse, Thais all return to rice fields, after the great Golden Egg Layers all headed for the exits in 2003. That was owing to the INSANE rise in visa fees. Quality Golden Egg Layer squeezing out his last in Pattaya

I hate facebook but I've grown to like following some Twitter feeds--without having a Twitter account myself. There you can quickly get the latest thoughts/info/advice posted by some independent thinker on subjects of interest without having to visit a webpage and wading through a lot of filler. It's just a matter of being very selective amid all the usual cr_a_p.

I shake my head at those wanting to be slaves of time. And you're merely hypocritical. You only listening to K-pop, hip hop and rap music these days? Oh. Would you only drink varietals of wine in existence since 1970? Would drinking a Cabernet turn back time for you so now you can't drink it? Kills me, these claims of hi tech modern superiority. Our cutting edge (no pun intended) techies sneered at anyone not abandoning WinXP for--Vista.???? Suggesting Win 10 owners install the convenient Classic Shell over the almost universally derided Start menu was no less than going back to prehistoric times. We seem to need all this rhetorical hyperbole. Reminds me of the old quarrel of the Ancients and the Moderns. Some are too clumsy, too impatient, or too stubborn to get on well with DE razors. Perhaps they lack proper instruction. That's why they're now paying thru the nose for Mach 5s.???? You can still use a Trac II, but you can buy only about 7 "genuine" cartridges for the price of 100 DE blades. (We insist on genuine only here, except when it comes to jeans. With jeans, we insist on fakes--who's stupid enough to pay for genuine?) I'll save the money, thank you. Wrong decade. You mean, 1903 - 1971? But Gillette evidently now thinks it is progress, as the company not long ago came out with a new DE razor, the King Gillette. The "progress" is actually only about the progress of company profits. An amazing number of consumers now have decided that shaving with a DE gets the job done at a fraction of the cost, and the whole classic shaving ritual is kind of fun, even worthy of a hobby. You obviously just know what you know, but you can search on Amazon for safety razors, shaving soaps, aftershaves, shaving brushes, shaving bowls, shaving stands, etc. to get an idea of the explosion of modern products appealing to a large market.

Thai ladies have become too fat to do that anymore. Very foolish to let any of them walk on your back anyway. Back problems and subsequent surgery to try to fix them--you really don't need.