Popular Post rooster59 Posted January 25, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted January 25, 2020 The week that was in Thailand news: Howzat! Rooster hits out at YouTwitFace....and scores 200 not out! I don't mind newbies to Thailand offering their opinions. As a former educator I'd be a hyper-hypocrite if I didn't listen to and respect their views. Sometimes, despite their innocence and lack of experience, they are more correct than us "old hands" who may wear our skepticism like an unnecessary overcoat at times, missing the obvious as we grind our respective axes. Yes, newbies I can tolerate. What I hate is those who have been in the kingdom five minutes who think they know it all. In this regard I will define five minutes as anywhere from about six months to five years. I used to occasionally meet them in bars. It was quite fun to keep my mouth shut and lie about how long I had been in Thailand and what I was doing here and "revel" in their profound knowledge of everything from the Thai language, to the police, to the culture, to Thai women....you name it they knew it. If I wanted to avoid such people I looked vacantly into the bar room ether like an apparent idiot as I mentally anagrammed long words. If I was still going to bars now people would see an inane grin on Rooster's chops as he figured out that CORONAVIRUS makes CARNIVOROUS. They would just imagine that I had gone 'troppo' if they even gave me a passing look. The days of bars and even drinking are over thanks to the intervention of kindly Mrs Rooster but they have been replaced by living online in places like YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Thaivisa. Unfortunately in this less than Brave New World these five minute know-it-alls are everywhere; perhaps I should give them a better name based on the places they inhabit - YouTwitFaceThai has a nice ring to it though one must stress most are foreigners, or at least appear to be. Rooster is not the kind to gloat and - if the wife is to believed - usually gets everything wrong. Years ago - just like the first wife - she had the uncanny ability to know where I had just been and in the days of the mobile phone, where I was at that moment despite my protestations to the contrary. But I do have a bit of experience and if Thailand has taught me anything it is that when seeking truth one must look between the lines, behind the smile and not give into the standard stereotypes and predictably biased opinions that YouTwitFace employs daily. My nearest and occasional dearest had to admit that in the case of the Lopburi gold heist murderer Rooster nailed it. The arrest of school director "Golf" completely dominated the news this week both on the forum, on TV and in the Thai online and paper press. My initial reaction - along with many experts following the appalling violence at Robinson's on January 9th - was that this would be wrapped up pretty quickly. I reassessed that view when I heard about the connection to the "person of influence". This is like shouting loudly that the shooter is related to a politician or a policeman. It also indicates that plod will be extra careful in their evidence gathering and not rush in. It may take time. It was obvious that as the inquiry went past the first few days that the constabulary knew who was responsible. After all, they had leads like the silencer, CCTV, the motorcycle, the unusual clothes, the wanton violence, all superb for investigators. And with top brass giving them unlimited resources as the public clamored, they were never going to be short of a magnifying glass. YouTwitFace burbled on about Red Bull, brown envelopes, crossed the border already, 500 baht and a wai, any Burmese scapegoat will do......they even slammed the ineptitude of the Thai police. They can't get away from past failures of the force and fail to appreciate that the rozzers often know exactly what they are doing and masterfully manipulate a compliant press and gawking public to gain the upper hand. They bided their time gathering evidence online knowing they were holding all the aces, waiting until they could get away with an arrest. Of course Rooster couldn't have imagined that the perp would be a loving and apparently happily married and respected school director, that was a kind of icing on the cake for a journalist. But he IS a policeman's son and it WAS his dad's gun he used to murder three people (including a toddler) and it was his father in law's motorcycle that he used in the getaway. It was obvious from the get go that this was no normal gold shop robber. He clearly didn't care much if he was caught, that indicated an unusual suspect. Following Wednesday morning's arrest the suspect has been saying everything and anything to help mitigate his actions. He should not waste his breath as he might need it to plead for his life later on. YouTwitFace still wouldn't have it. "He's too fat to be the slim guy in the video, it's a stitch-up!".......finally they were drowned out by the weight of evidence though you won't see them admit it. As soon as another case rears up they'll be back..... Apart from Golf "spicing up his life with a bit of random murder" the week on Thaivisa was the usual eclectic mix of the bizarre and the fascinating, the predictable and the unexpected flavored with that special, vital ingredient...Thai-ness. Public enemies of the hour are sugar cane farmers whose crop burning has been blamed for the smog bedeviling Bangkok and just about every provincial area. With schools closing in the capital and sales of masks hitting record levels everyone blamed the farmers and the government. One 1,000 rai "Oi" farmer in Sa Kaeo said burning was economically necessary and challenged the authorities to send him to jail. Good riddance screamed the foreign netizens who predictably gave the subject no thought whatsoever. I don't want to be an apologist for farmers, sometimes they are at fault along with others who flout laws for their own financial gain. I would just suggest that the government would do better to look into the economics of the sugar business and the involvement of the massive conglomerates who control this lucrative and often very disreputable trade. Not once did I see people on the internet mention the - quite frankly - ridiculously low price of sugar that we all take for granted. It is nothing short of a "drug" that we don't really need and which is causing worldwide health crises of horrendous proportions. I should know - I have been one of its victims since childhood and remain an addict to this day. Every day my six year old came home with a mask on, given by a friend's mum or teacher. I took them from her and told her why I consider these bits of cloth and rubber bands to be useless. I didn't throw them away though; a few levels of thickness might be handy next time 'er indoors rustles up an Isaan treat on the stove. Her version of "horm" is a little at odds with mine. Mrs R was perplexed as I translated an interview with a UK doctor on Sky who said that cheap face masks to protect against the virus seeping worldwide from Wuhan were pointless. Vapor from the mouth would render them more harmful than useful. Thailand, inevitably with the hordes coming from China for the Year Of the Rat celebrations, had some of the first cases as the WHO decided what to do next. The Thai government could be happy that some of the smog related angst was being deflected by those dirty Chinese though they stopped short of keeping the red carpet in storage for "trut jeen" (CNY) that will be in full swing as you read this. The UK's The Sun - a relative of Viz comic for the uninitiated - reported that one of their number had gone down with suspected coronavirus in Thailand. This was really just a vehicle to allow them to say that the man had been in UK shows "Hollyoaks" and "Corrie" (the world's longest running TV soap Coronation Street that contains infinitely more truth than the UK's tabloid press). Thai media MThai did their best to rival this nonsense with a story that 100 penalty points would be needed on your license before a one year ban would be implemented. As I pointed out in my translation this would mean drink driving 25 times. Most things in Thailand wouldn't surprise me but I put a fake news warning on that one. Talking of fake news, tourism - or principally the lack of it - continued to be Top of the TV Pops. A person described as a "disruptor" ("Hey, I could do that - give us a job") by the name of Bill Bensley told the Thailand Tourism Forum that the nation's big earner "is doomed if they don't embrace nature". On Friday we were told that tourism had already tumbled under the combined weight of "smog and a fat baht". Guffaws aplenty greeted a story about Pattaya plod carrying out a mock gold shop robbery to show the tourists they had their backs covered. This was before the denouement in Lopburi. The miscreant-cum-actor - who looked suspiciously like a farang - was doing the admissions and reenactment before the Big C Aurora staff had so much as reported the "crime". Chief of Plod - rather in the manner of Mr Punch's "That's the Way To Do It!" - spoke of the preparedness of his men but suggested that shops should all close by 9 pm. Robberies after that time can be ...er....difficult....to....er.... solve, he burbled unconvincingly. He meant that the force always knocks off for the night at "saam thum" (nine). On Thursday a police meth sting in Pattaya went horribly wrong as the drug dealer escaped in his pick-up. When they shot out his rear tire he lost control and killed a 66 year old motorcyclist and injured two more innocent people seriously. The war on drugs is a terrible and continuing mistake. And these reckless chases through crowded downtown areas, firing shots like some Hollywood movie are disgraceful. Heads should roll but I'll concede that Newbie Man and YouTwitFace would probably be right in saying that is Pie in the Pattaya Sky, a sky that was also murky this week. On the roads Monday's death toll was 73 as Daily News revealed that the stats were getting worse despite the face saving and lip servicing rhetoric of everyone from the government to the police. As if to confirm what we know, the usual round of appalling accidents was published with a pick-up driver looking down at his phone and going into the back of a school van killing a 16 year old boy being the worst of a bad bunch. Even foreigners were blamed for accidents in Pattaya and Chiang Mai where some traffic lights were obliterated. Top video of the week was also an accident of sorts. A Thai man carrying a heavy load of palm sugar got stuck on the rails at a level crossing. A few passing motorists were indifferent to his plight but to their credit a group of cyclists stopped to lend a hand. Their efforts proved in vain, however, as the Thonburi ro Ratchaburi express bore down.......Naew Na called it an Iron Horse. The story was repeated the next day as someone had whipped out his phone to snap a picture of what a foundation rescue guy claimed was a female ghost by the tracks. Translating the story (giggling secretly about my wind-up phrase "paranormal experts") I shared the news with the missus and surprised her with a 'sincere' apology that I had been wrong about Thai spirits and ghosts all along. This seemed to make her happy. I was clearly and at last assimilating into Thailand after four decades. After 20 years of gross sarcasm, and like the average American, she still hasn't fully appreciated what the English are like. Though admittedly my successful hoodwinking exploits probably masked the irony of a subject that Thais would never joke about! After a sojourn of a few weeks my Thaivisa editor has cracked open the piggy bank for a few Rooster Awards. The "You Don't Say" prize goes to secretary general of the Office of the Basic Education Commission, Khun Amnat who said that the Lopburi gold shop robber and multiple murdering maniac Golf would "be fired from his post of director if the case is proven in court". The "No Money No Honey" award might have been won by the Israelis who lost their cash thanks to a couple of "Gentlemen of the Night" in QUOTES (the Queen Of The Eastern Seaboard). Instead I present it to the Chinese man who was stung by Petchabun immigration - in their BMW smart car - for producing and selling honey without a work permit. Apparently social media was abuzz and yours truly, were I not totally legal, would have come out in hives at the thought. Former TV celebrity and anchor Sorrayuth gets the "Enjoy Your Rice Gruel" prize after he was finally sent down for eight years for embezzlement. I'll miss his condescending TV shows and interviews as much as a bad migraine. Finally, I would like to thank my readership for their continued support. I began writing this column in March of 2016 and today I have completed 200 consecutive Sunday contributions without a single break. Though my near half a million words have bored some, I hope that the column continues to provoke thought and bring a few much needed laughs to the readership. Here's to the next 200. If the smog, school directors, roads or Mrs Rooster doesn't get me first. Rooster -- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-01-25 Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info 15 4 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Samui Bodoh Posted January 25, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted January 25, 2020 "...After 20 years of gross sarcasm, and like the average American, she still hasn't fully appreciated what the English are like..." Respectfully, the whole world knows what the English are like. The Americans went to war against the English 240+ years ago because they knew what the English were like. Canadians went their own way 140+ years ago because they knew what the English were like. Aussies went their way approximately 120 years ago because they knew what the English were like. New Zealanders moved on about 110 years ago because they knew what the English were like. The Indians gladly saw the back of the English about 80 years ago because they knew what the English were like. The Egyptians happily saw the back of the English in 1922 because they knew what the English were like. The South Africans took off about 110 years ago because they knew what the English were like. The Singaporeans had had enough by 1963 because they knew what the English were like. Malaysians went their own way in 1957 because they knew what the English were like. Barbados took off in 1966 because things on the islands always go slow and because they knew what the English were like. Nigerians went their own way 60 years or so ago because they knew what the English were like. The Burmese left in 1948 because they knew what the English were like. Many others tried and tried and tried to leave, but were thwarted and/or forcibly stopped, but still wanted to go because they knew what the English were like. Many simply tried to merely ignore the English, but eventually got so fed up because they knew what the English were like. Etc, Etc, Etc, Etc. Did you think the Brexit referendum was about the England leaving the EU? Nope. Actually, it was the other way around (Shhh! Don't tell the English!). Never before in Human history have a people been left by so many others; it is unlikely that anyone in future times will be rejected so much. Okay, English! Let me have it and demonstrate why so many have left you! 6 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post FarFlungFalang Posted January 25, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted January 25, 2020 41 minutes ago, Samui Bodoh said: Canadians went their own way 140+ years ago because they knew what the English were like. Aussies went their way approximately 120 years ago because they knew what the English were like. New Zealanders moved on about 110 years ago because they knew what the English were like. The three counties you mention Canada,Australia and New Zealand are still members of the commonwealth and have not in fact left the the English and are still susceptible to the power of "Her Majesty the Queen of England",e.g. the 1975 sacking of the Prime Minister of Australia comes to mind. 3 6 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Jane Dough Posted January 25, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted January 25, 2020 Yes, Samui Bodoh, and the Thais know what the English are like. That's why they call us "phuu dee angrit" - English gentlemen. Be back later, must jet off to Blighty to get some shirts made at Savile Row. Toodlepip, old chap, don't wait up. Rooster 1 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Samui Bodoh Posted January 25, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted January 25, 2020 8 hours ago, FarFlungFalang said: The three counties you mention Canada,Australia and New Zealand are still members of the commonwealth and have not in fact left the the English and are still susceptible to the power of "Her Majesty the Queen of England",e.g. the 1975 sacking of the Prime Minister of Australia comes to mind. You have pointed out a fascinating and convenient legal wrinkle in Constitutional Monarchies of the Commonwealth, but have failed to understand it. In a case of vast oversimplification, Elizabeth is the (purely ceremonial) Head of State of the three countries mentioned, and in your Australia 1975 example her role/authority had long since devolved to an Australian Governor General through her office as (ceremonial) Queen of Australia. Her role as "Her Majesty the Queen of England" didn't apply as it was not applicable; it would be the equivalent of stating that Elizabeth, Her Majesty the Queen of New Zealand, opens the British Parliament. Honestly, Commonwealth countries have long since glossed over Elizabeth's role in England out of politeness; it goes unmentioned much like a facial wart goes unmentioned out of politeness, good manners and tact. This and other similar discussions are likely coming to an end soon; the very sad day of Elizabeth's passing will almost certainly see a rapid end to the remains of the Commonwealth. There is great respect for Elizabeth due to her long and distinguished service, but with the crowning of Charles and the subsequent printing of Charles' face on money, people will ask why he is there (no reflection on Charles; but he simply does not command the historical place that Elizabeth does outside of the UK). Perhaps the Commonwealth will continue out of apathy, but I suspect that a formal end to it is nigh. I haven't decided if I think that is a good thing or not. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesofa Posted January 25, 2020 Share Posted January 25, 2020 12 hours ago, rooster59 said: Their efforts proved in vain, however, as the Thonburi ro Ratchaburi express bore down.......Naew Na called it an Iron Horse. Reminds me of old black & white westerns, where the phrase 'Iron Horse' was used by the Indians (not the TAT type). 12 hours ago, rooster59 said: for producing and selling honey without a work permit. Apparently social media was abuzz and yours truly, were I not totally legal, would have come out in hives at the thought. That wasn't lost on me. I see you left that stinging comment to near the end. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Marpa47 Posted January 25, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted January 25, 2020 Being a fan of English culture, with Kipling and Dickens foremost coming to mind, and while not blind to many tragic past injustices visited upon the colonies, a thing that in the broad context of history could be argued to have been inevitable, still there have also been Benefits from development of infrastructure, government, education, healthcare, agriculture as well as many instances of Individual self sacrifice written into the history of these colonies. Thailand, having had leadership that was skilled at finessing the appetites of the European colonial powers in the past has resulted in a unique situation. This is a culture that remains fascinating and admirable in so many ways. And viewing the unfolding of this story through the eyes of a not-unremarkable journalist of an English persuasion remains something a bright spot to look forward to each week. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesofa Posted January 25, 2020 Share Posted January 25, 2020 2 minutes ago, Marpa47 said: a not-unremarkable journalist of an English persuasion Could that be described as a backhanded compliment? A bit like: I'm amazed at the level of success readers have after following your advice. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesofa Posted January 25, 2020 Share Posted January 25, 2020 Doh! If only you hadn't mentioned the anagram of coronavirus is carnivorous. Just saw this headline "Govt steps up measures to tackle coronavirus situation" and immediately thought: vegetarianism. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Odysseus123 Posted January 25, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted January 25, 2020 12 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said: "...After 20 years of gross sarcasm, and like the average American, she still hasn't fully appreciated what the English are like..." Respectfully, the whole world knows what the English are like. The Americans went to war against the English 240+ years ago because they knew what the English were like. Canadians went their own way 140+ years ago because they knew what the English were like. Aussies went their way approximately 120 years ago because they knew what the English were like. New Zealanders moved on about 110 years ago because they knew what the English were like. The Indians gladly saw the back of the English about 80 years ago because they knew what the English were like. The Egyptians happily saw the back of the English in 1922 because they knew what the English were like. The South Africans took off about 110 years ago because they knew what the English were like. The Singaporeans had had enough by 1963 because they knew what the English were like. Malaysians went their own way in 1957 because they knew what the English were like. Barbados took off in 1966 because things on the islands always go slow and because they knew what the English were like. Nigerians went their own way 60 years or so ago because they knew what the English were like. The Burmese left in 1948 because they knew what the English were like. Many others tried and tried and tried to leave, but were thwarted and/or forcibly stopped, but still wanted to go because they knew what the English were like. Many simply tried to merely ignore the English, but eventually got so fed up because they knew what the English were like. Etc, Etc, Etc, Etc. Did you think the Brexit referendum was about the England leaving the EU? Nope. Actually, it was the other way around (Shhh! Don't tell the English!). Never before in Human history have a people been left by so many others; it is unlikely that anyone in future times will be rejected so much. Okay, English! Let me have it and demonstrate why so many have left you! So funny and so true...the best thing I have ever read on this thread. So I re-posted it.???? 6 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newatthis Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 13 hours ago, Jane Dough said: Yes, Samui Bodoh, and the Thais know what the English are like. That's why they call us "phuu dee angrit" - English gentlemen. But you must admit, the Thai education system is not really up to par with the rest of the world. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Jane Dough Posted January 26, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted January 26, 2020 19 minutes ago, newatthis said: But you must admit, the Thai education system is not really up to par with the rest of the world. My first daughter was educated in Thailand and got a masters degree from a small establishment in England. Called Oxford. Rooster 4 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane Dough Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 2 hours ago, Marpa47 said: Being a fan of English culture, with Kipling and Dickens foremost coming to mind, and while not blind to many tragic past injustices visited upon the colonies, a thing that in the broad context of history could be argued to have been inevitable, still there have also been Benefits from development of infrastructure, government, education, healthcare, agriculture as well as many instances of Individual self sacrifice written into the history of these colonies. Thailand, having had leadership that was skilled at finessing the appetites of the European colonial powers in the past has resulted in a unique situation. This is a culture that remains fascinating and admirable in so many ways. And viewing the unfolding of this story through the eyes of a not-unremarkable journalist of an English persuasion remains something a bright spot to look forward to each week. I'll take that as a compliment! Lord B. knows they are hard enough to come by these days! Thanks for reading. Rooster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VocalNeal Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 2 hours ago, Odysseus123 said: The Americans went to war against the English 240+ years ago because they knew what the English were like. Technically it was the 13 colonies and the French. more of an extra front of the war with the French. An economic decision was made and the colonies were sacrificed as Jamaican sugar was more valuable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newatthis Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 24 minutes ago, Jane Dough said: My first daughter was educated in Thailand and got a masters degree from a small establishment in England. Called Oxford. Rooster Used to be an exclusive educational establishment; now it's full of proletariats. Just ask Bob Hawke. PS Congratulations to your daughter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soi Dog Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 Definitely looking forward to another 200. TWTWIT is my Sunday highlight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Assurancetourix Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 2 hours ago, Jane Dough said: My first daughter was educated in Thailand and got a masters degree from a small establishment in England. Called Oxford. Rooster But you forget to specify that she had to make a clean sweep from the very little that she had learned in Thailand and in fact start all over again. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane Dough Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 12 minutes ago, Assurancetourix said: But you forget to specify that she had to make a clean sweep from the very little that she had learned in Thailand and in fact start all over again. On the contrary she learnt from me in Thailand that it is one of the most important things in life to wait for closing time at Tesco when the specials come on offer. Though, I'll concede that she readily accepted that her earning potential in Canary Wharf might surpass anything Krung Thep had to offer. Rooster 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane Dough Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 44 minutes ago, Soi Dog said: Definitely looking forward to another 200. TWTWIT is my Sunday highlight. You are very kind. And this despite my vituperative vitriol versus Soi Dogs! Thanks for reading, Rooster. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Assurancetourix Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 (edited) 10 minutes ago, Jane Dough said: Though, I'll concede that she readily accepted that her earning potential in Canary Wharf might surpass anything Krung Thep had to offer. I spoke of the little and often very far from the truth that she had learned at school in Thailand; obviously if you were just behind her to rectify and teach her something other than the formatted discourse of the class books of Thailand .... I forgot .. " And this despite my vituperative vitriol versus Soi Dogs! " They can sometimes be aggressive; a long stick that you can only use to keep them away and speak to them in Thai-isaan can help; I tell them: bo kin farang, bo sep and generally they stop grunting; on the other hand, it is impossible to approach them, they are in fact afraid of us humans who beat them. I have four dogs at home; and I feed four, sometimes 5 others on a huge property a few km from my home; by dint of patience, the three adults accept caresses but not yet the two young babies who are really wild but agree to be fed. Edited January 26, 2020 by Assurancetourix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alien365 Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 17 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said: "...After 20 years of gross sarcasm, and like the average American, she still hasn't fully appreciated what the English are like..." Respectfully, the whole world knows what the English are like. The Americans went to war against the English 240+ years ago because they knew what the English were like. Canadians went their own way 140+ years ago because they knew what the English were like. Aussies went their way approximately 120 years ago because they knew what the English were like. New Zealanders moved on about 110 years ago because they knew what the English were like. The Indians gladly saw the back of the English about 80 years ago because they knew what the English were like. The Egyptians happily saw the back of the English in 1922 because they knew what the English were like. The South Africans took off about 110 years ago because they knew what the English were like. The Singaporeans had had enough by 1963 because they knew what the English were like. Malaysians went their own way in 1957 because they knew what the English were like. Barbados took off in 1966 because things on the islands always go slow and because they knew what the English were like. Nigerians went their own way 60 years or so ago because they knew what the English were like. The Burmese left in 1948 because they knew what the English were like. Many others tried and tried and tried to leave, but were thwarted and/or forcibly stopped, but still wanted to go because they knew what the English were like. Many simply tried to merely ignore the English, but eventually got so fed up because they knew what the English were like. Etc, Etc, Etc, Etc. Did you think the Brexit referendum was about the England leaving the EU? Nope. Actually, it was the other way around (Shhh! Don't tell the English!). Never before in Human history have a people been left by so many others; it is unlikely that anyone in future times will be rejected so much. Okay, English! Let me have it and demonstrate why so many have left you! Thanks for that, and you have a nice Sunday too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaDavid Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 What an enjoyable read. I fit into your ‘newbie’ category having been here just under the upper limit of 5 years. But, there is no way I would consider myself an expert in anything Thai. Mostly I don’t stray far from my village, except for my daily constitutional either on foot or bicycle. I meet up with a few other far(l)angs a couple of times a month for a beer at a local market. We pass the time counting the sugar roht baan tuk passing by and may comment on whether the harvest was burnt before cutting. Occasionally we may stop to brush off a few strands of charcoal like deposit from our Savile Row suits - yes, we’re mostly English. At this time of year, the sun is a ghostly red colour, and should there ever be an eclipse we wouldn’t need protective eyewear to view it. My wife relates the local gossip, and the only National news I hear is gleaned from this weekly summary. But I’m happy in my ignorance. I’m learning Thai from various on-line sources and practice by trying to read street signs on my perambulations. Being somewhat deaf makes it difficult to understand verbally, which in turn makes it difficult to pronounce correctly. My British upper lip probably also contributes to this problem. How the hell does one pronounce a dt or bp sound, or make the word sounds rise and fall? But at least I try. I wave, smile and say either ‘hello’ or sawat(s)dee to every adult I pass (except the few who avert their eyes), and wave to toddlers and young girls; young boys get a thumbs up sign. Mostly I get a positive response. I am on first name terms with most of the local phu yai baan, and at social occasions (including funerals) there is always someone who recognises me as the man on the jakgrian. A far cry from the expats who by all accounts don’t inter-react with Johnny foreigner and spend their days instead propping up bars knocking everything Thai. And a far cry from the British, who exploited half the world’s population hundreds of years ago. Probably bored most of you to tears. But, I thought I would let you know there is another side to the 50p piece. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPI Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 Apart from the distractions of "Samui Bob" thanks rooster, I've probably read about 95% of your blurbs and I hope you continue for the next appreciable length of time! I've been here for 23 years and to sit in a beer shop, drink a leo and watch the passing parade is one of my life's pleasures! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redoubt Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 Brilliant! Thank you sir. As a 'barefoot Pilgrim' in the Isaan Region I so appreciate your gifts. VTY, Robin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orang37 Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 @Rooster Thanks for a very tasty meal of sum tam, bangers, larb, and mash ! Farangs are the carnivorous epidemic. ~o:37; Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post sawadee1947 Posted January 26, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted January 26, 2020 20 hours ago, FarFlungFalang said: The three counties you mention Canada,Australia and New Zealand are still members of the commonwealth and have not in fact left the the English and are still susceptible to the power of "Her Majesty the Queen of England",e.g. the 1975 sacking of the Prime Minister of Australia comes to mind. I like your jokes. In fact nobody in these mentioned countries cares about any Queen or Royals. They might be considered as bizarre or quirky kind of Species. And i'm happy that Ireland is free of them. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred white Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 Drink driving gotta be a British term I drink drive every time I go to town I stop at 7/11 and buy a grape ready drink but I never drive drunk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieH Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 2 minutes ago, Fred white said: Drink driving gotta be a British term I drink drive every time I go to town I stop at 7/11 and buy a grape ready drink but I never drive drunk With respect you shouldnt be doing anything other than operating the vehicle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overherebc Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 (edited) 22 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said: "...After 20 years of gross sarcasm, and like the average American, she still hasn't fully appreciated what the English are like..." Respectfully, the whole world knows what the English are like. The Americans went to war against the English 240+ years ago because they knew what the English were like. Canadians went their own way 140+ years ago because they knew what the English were like. Aussies went their way approximately 120 years ago because they knew what the English were like. New Zealanders moved on about 110 years ago because they knew what the English were like. The Indians gladly saw the back of the English about 80 years ago because they knew what the English were like. The Egyptians happily saw the back of the English in 1922 because they knew what the English were like. The South Africans took off about 110 years ago because they knew what the English were like. The Singaporeans had had enough by 1963 because they knew what the English were like. Malaysians went their own way in 1957 because they knew what the English were like. Barbados took off in 1966 because things on the islands always go slow and because they knew what the English were like. Nigerians went their own way 60 years or so ago because they knew what the English were like. The Burmese left in 1948 because they knew what the English were like. Many others tried and tried and tried to leave, but were thwarted and/or forcibly stopped, but still wanted to go because they knew what the English were like. Many simply tried to merely ignore the English, but eventually got so fed up because they knew what the English were like. Etc, Etc, Etc, Etc. Did you think the Brexit referendum was about the England leaving the EU? Nope. Actually, it was the other way around (Shhh! Don't tell the English!). Never before in Human history have a people been left by so many others; it is unlikely that anyone in future times will be rejected so much. Okay, English! Let me have it and demonstrate why so many have left you! George Washingtion, born in Popes Creek (?) 1732 (?) at the time America was a colony, was by the law of the day English. Does that mean that the 1st President of America was an Englishman??? Edited January 26, 2020 by overherebc 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sambum Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 22 hours ago, FarFlungFalang said: The three counties you mention Canada,Australia and New Zealand are still members of the commonwealth and have not in fact left the the English and are still susceptible to the power of "Her Majesty the Queen of England",e.g. the 1975 sacking of the Prime Minister of Australia comes to mind. I have given your post a "Like" and 99% of what you state is indeed fact. However, might I be so bold as to mention that Canada , Australia, and new Zealand, are in fact "countRies", not "counties"? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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