7 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

I've had quite a few different beers from around the world, but didn't scratch the surface of what's out there, especially with all the craft beers. Austin is huge on beer with many bar and grills having a lot on tap along with bottled. Texas actually has some excellent wines after many wineries popped up there. New Jersey /New York of course has the best of everything worldwide. I remember having a 1953 Chateau Latour in a good Chinese restaurant in New Jersey called Peking, along with Tung Ting Shrimp, which was one of their top dishes.

I have never been to New York or surrounding states. And in the current climate, I will avoid US air travel anyway.
As I mentioned in a post earlier about pla ra, I spent time in a developing country as a child. So I speak English with a weird accent. Well, it's weird to American and Australian ears, at least, while British ears are used to so many variations they often assume I'm a New Zealander or South African (or Dutch!) even after forty-odd years since leaving.
Anyway, I'm comfortable here. The rain has been well-behaved; enough for The Lads but not quite enough for the dams around the house. I think it was Tuesday that the market was full of the unique call of the Thai toad (kunghkok) but not so much in last couple of days.
Increase in snakes, though. Both here where I sit during the days, and dead on the roads. Bit odd. We see more toward the end of the year due to the mating season and so forth. Maybe the water is flooding their hollows? It has also been unseasonably cool (only hit 29 today) but the wind is a tad brisk. MAybe the snakes think it's October.

9 minutes ago, The Oracle said:

I have never been to New York or surrounding states. And in the current climate, I will avoid US air travel anyway.
As I mentioned in a post earlier about pla ra, I spent time in a developing country as a child. So I speak English with a weird accent. Well, it's weird to American and Australian ears, at least, while British ears are used to so many variations they often assume I'm a New Zealander or South African (or Dutch!) even after forty-odd years since leaving.
Anyway, I'm comfortable here. The rain has been well-behaved; enough for The Lads but not quite enough for the dams around the house. I think it was Tuesday that the market was full of the unique call of the Thai toad (kunghkok) but not so much in last couple of days.
Increase in snakes, though. Both here where I sit during the days, and dead on the roads. Bit odd. We see more toward the end of the year due to the mating season and so forth. Maybe the water is flooding their hollows? It has also been unseasonably cool (only hit 29 today) but the wind is a tad brisk. MAybe the snakes think it's October.

Had to walk in the rain to pick up my daughter at school today, as it started after I left. The only problem is that Thailand has mud like Texas has. It's either power dry of like soup. I did like eating frog legs back in New Jersey but not the frogs here. Only tried snake here once, just kinda blah. Rattlesnake in Texas was good. Haven't seen snakes here in awhile, but they're usually in the yard once a month or so. One thing I won't miss when we leave, the amount of deadly snakes.

Thainess is a nice word, but in reality it is the opposite of what it should be. A lot jelousy, greed, anger and serious family quarrels, xenophobic issues and several more are in daily life. The Thainess is used to cover these issues up to save face.

On 7/9/2026 at 2:30 AM, Rockyroad said:

What life lessons can we learn from the Thais?

There is the respect of elders. There is being humble.

Nothing that cannot be learnt from others. Thailand does not have the exclusivity on humility, nor respect for elders.

The concepts you refer to were hyped up and may have been a characteristic of past generations.

The reality today is that a large portion of the elderly are neglected and often abandoned. The data is grim.

https://www.dop.go.th/download/statistics/th1738230377-2563_1.pdf

It is not humble to engage in conspicuous displays of wealth or public exaggerated piety. Look around at some of the buffoons with their tawdry displays of opulence with the gold baubles and amulets. And then there is the high household debt because of flashy vehicle purchases etc.

23 hours ago, Rockyroad said:

You could just discuss the topic and stop insulting strangers.

Wow! Spoken by a true professional of the mentioned subject. 😂

22 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

as i, unlike you, can back up everything I post, not with opinions and assumptions like yours, but facts, links and experience.

Ok, thanks again Fred! Made my day. Got a laugh for my coffee. That´s the only thing I´ve asked for, and you deliver 100%. Amazing. Keep up the good work!

Your awesome, man!

On 7/10/2026 at 11:10 AM, Rockyroad said:

Never abused anyone who did not abuse me first

What I used

23 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

n 7/10/2026 at 11:10 AM, Rockyroad said:

Never abused anyone who did not abuse me first

23 hours ago, IsaanT said:

I'm on Rockyroads side, in the past I've received many unprovoked, hostile, nasty, abuse from members, I'd get my back up, I'd reply with hostility, then out of the blue others here would be attacking me, ignoring the prior abuse I had received

@Rockyroad as I said earlier, after receiving an unprovoked abusive comment, I'd retaliate with hostility.

These days I've changed, now I ask the Mods to remove an abusive comment, asking for the off topic antagonizing comment to be removed.

2 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

These days I've changed, now I ask the Mods to remove an abusive comment, asking for the off topic antagonizing comment to be removed.

That means you have reverted to your original behaviour. Be honest, with yourself.

At the same time, you should have an understanding of how your fellow countrymen categorise such behaviour.

4 minutes ago, IsmeUno said:

That means you have reverted to your original behaviour. Be honest, with yourself.

At the same time, you should have an understanding of how your fellow countrymen categorise such behaviour.

Yes, in the past I would tell you to f*** off, (then I'd get suspended) but these days I ask nicely to have your off topic, antagonizing comments removed.

I bet it pisses you off 😂

Edited July 11Jul 11 by SAFETY FIRST

1 minute ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Yes, in the past I would tell you to f*** off, (then I'd get suspended) but these days I ask nicely to have your off topic, antagonizing comments removed.

I bet it pisses you off 😂

Not at all true. You are just making things up. Be honest. You would freak out in exactly the same way, accusing everyone of being hostile to you, hitting the Report button on such a regular basis, that you became the 'boy who cried wolf!'.

That is the only reason why it stopped. Now you gone back to that, by your own admission.

The truth will set you free.

You didn't tell anyone to "f*** off". You just cried about the hostility with your nearly every post.

Edited July 11Jul 11 by IsmeUno

14 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

Nothing that cannot be learnt from others. Thailand does not have the exclusivity on humility, nor respect for elders.

Thailanguage courses

The concepts you refer to were hyped up and may have been a characteristic of past generations.

The reality today is that a large portion of the elderly are neglected and often abandoned. The data is grim.

https://www.dop.go.th/download/statistics/th1738230377-2563_1.pdf

It is not humble to engage in conspicuous displays of wealth or public exaggerated piety. Look around at some of the buffoons with their tawdry displays of opulence with the gold baubles and amulets. And then there is the high household debt because of flashy vehicle purchases etc.

Exactly what my wife (Thai) says, especially the saving face nonsense.

1 hour ago, IsmeUno said:

Not at all true. You are just making things up. Be honest. You would freak out in exactly the same way, accusing everyone of being hostile to you, hitting the Report button on such a regular basis, that you became the 'boy who cried wolf!'.

That is the only reason why it stopped. Now you gone back to that, by your own admission.

The truth will set you free.

You didn't tell anyone to "f*** off". You just cried about the hostility with your nearly every post.

Ffs, haven't you got a life, why are you always here, your many strange comments are that of a psycho. I hope I never meet you in the street

Edited July 11Jul 11 by SAFETY FIRST

1 hour ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Ffs, haven't you got a life, why are you always here, your many strange comments are that of a psycho. I hope I never meet you in the street

You have a problem with the truth?

Seems to be a few of you here. Trying too hard to project a certain image and flying into a rage when their flimsy house of cards is blown over. Stop lying to yourself man.

19 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

Thainess is a nice word, but in reality it is the opposite of what it should be. A lot jelousy, greed, anger and serious family quarrels, xenophobic issues and several more are in daily life. The Thainess is used to cover these issues up to save face.

In other words a delinquent social structure slathered over with niceties.

On 7/9/2026 at 11:39 PM, Celsius said:

I have learned many things.

Thais are master savers. They clutch every baht like it’s their last, refusing to waste it on something as vulgar as showing off. What a noble, understated lifestyle.

They are amazing cooks and always use the best ingredients and even their deep fried food is cooked in avocado oil. Yum

Thai customer service is world class. None of that cold, robotic Western politeness just pure passion when they scream “HEY YOU!”

Thais are passionate drivers, yet weirdly careful at the wheel. Their politeness goes way beyond respecting elders and it extends to their fellow road warriors with gentle honks, forgiving smiles, and the occasional Buddhist level patience. They basically turned me into a respectful driver overnight.

What else? There are so many things

They never scream HEY YOU, they shout YOU YOU.

I created an Alien Intelligence painting using several input paintings

I wanted a picture that incorporated all the most popular art landscape themes

Beauty

Nature

Water

Mountains

History

Emotion (anxiety about future)

It created a beautiful girl looking anxious

In the left was a historical Asian village with people planting rice by hand

On the right was a modern city with a middle class family showing the woman with her family eating an Upper Middle Class dinner.

My wife thought it was positive theme about bridging the past with the future.

Gotta admire their optimistic framing, maybe self reinforcing.

On 7/9/2026 at 1:30 PM, Rockyroad said:

What life lessons can we learn from the Thais?

The environment doesn't matter, yai and her old man are annoying to all, let the scammer scam you first after which you politely stick your head in the sand and hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil...don't worry about the 20,000+ dead on Thai roads every year, how to pretend to be righteous and follow the law while a couple of minors dressed like pros are sitting out front the bar drinking beer waiting for a farang, introduce laws that no one follows... I could go on but I'm too tired.