A Little Whinge

[donna]

Having had a terrible headache for a few days, I decided to head to Central (which is close to where I live) to get some heavy duty painkillers today. Just the movement of walking was hurting and it feels like my brain has turned to liquid.

Anyway, upon arrival at Central, I was assaulted by the loudest bloody squawking people talking about god only knows what - some kind of Thai Talok - in the middle of the shopping mall. The microphones were turned up so loud that my head hurt each time one of the girls or guys felt the need to squawk into it.

Why, oh why, do people think that loud is better in the shopping mall? All the people selling things around there were wincing each time a squawk was let out and the poor people in the supermarket had had enough!

Unfortunately the main times I get to go to the shopping centre is on the weekend, but the thought of this noise pollution really does make me reconsider at times.

Does anyone else find this racket offensive and a disturbance to the 'peace' of the shopping mall?

Oh, Ive still got the bloody headache even after two ponstan!

[farangsay]

I have come to the conclusion that many Thai people must be seriously deaf.

Whether this the reason for or a consequence of the high noise level everywhere I don't know.

One thing that annoys me is when watching TV in bed late I might fall upon a Thai channel by accident when hopping and the decibel level doubles. I'm always expecting people to bang on the wall/floor/ceiling.

[Super Hans]

Yup. Gets me too - when they have events in the jungceylon, they always turn the volume up to 11, with lots and lots of hysterical shrieking. Thais can be awfully excitable at times.

I really couldn't cope with being a headache sufferer here - those bloody wooden frog things are the most migraine enticing noise imaginable.

[donna]

oh the frogs i can cope with as they are a respectable decibel.

but its the high pitched 'kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa' at a million decibels that really bothers me. i know it wasnt only me today, as the thais were putting their fingers in their ears too.

its just nasty.

[LivinLOS]

Thais seem to have a very different concept of noise than we (or me at least) do.. Sound trucks.. Local news loudspeakers at 6am in the moobaans.. Etc etc etc..

The other day I was paying bills and was at the TOT.. Sat waiting with the room 1/2 full maybe 10 or more other people sat waiting. Some Thai woman came in, took her ticket and sat down, then got her phone which played MP3 music and turned it on flat out. I dont mean listening with a headphone or a system designed for holding to your ear.. It was just like a transistor radio loud noise.. Tinny awful speaker too. No one said anything or even seemed surprised while I was just shocked at how anyone could have so little consideration for everyone around them.

[mikethevigoman]

First time i went to the cinema in big c i couldnt beleive how loud it was , and im deaf in one side ! i was looking around me to see if there was a problem but it seems it was the normal level, funny

[geriatrickid]

And that is why I wear earplugs at times. (My Thai friends think I am not all there, but at least I hear better than they do and some of them are 10 yrs younger than me.)

[fiddlehead]

It is a shame that some things are tolerated in our society.

The problem is that they do work!

One is the noise pollution that you are talking about.

I hate it too having problems with my ears and loud noises hurts them. (too many of my younger years standing too close to loud PA systems)

But i noticed at one of these sella-thons in one of the big malls in Bangkok last year that the ones with the loudest volume usually have the most people watching.

I've even seen an excellent band playing at a huge street fair with a normal sounding PA system, and someone selling cookware just across the way with a better one. Guess which one the crowd was watching? Yeah, the cookware.

The other one that society not only allows, but it's a real shame that it works is: Packaging.

Don't you love it when you come home after buying that new battery for your cell phone and SD card and find that although the things are so small, they fill up your wastebasket?

I guess it's to discourage shoplifting even though they are in a locked case in the store.

But unfortunately, packaging works. I know it does because i tested some product in my retail days when i put hang tags on some jackets i was selling. Some people even refused to buy them without the hang tags. Oh well, i better not hijack this thread but................

It's not only Thais that like to make loud noises as they go through life. How about all of those big chopper dudes?

How do you like when THEY come roaring by you?

[Wellington]

oh the frogs i can cope with as they are a respectable decibel.

but its the high pitched 'kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa' at a million decibels that really bothers me. i know it wasnt only me today, as the thais were putting their fingers in their ears too.

its just nasty.

Maybe you should complain to the farang directors of Tops who might bring their influence to bear on Central's Thai directors.

Tops business might be suffering when the awful racket goes on, but we also find the whole noise thing intolerable, it even reaches inside the Central restaurants when you are sitting down to escape.

[LivinginKata]

It's not just Thais that turn-up-the-volume. I have a good number of Farang tenants and it amazes me how loud many of them have the TV or Music just blasting away. Can't even hold a conversation when I visit them, and they don't even turn down or turn off the Tv. Me, I always turn off the Tv when I have a visitor as I consider that polite.

I have a theory that many folks induce partial deafness through years of loud Tv, and over time have to increase the Tv volume, thus aggrevating their condition, so up goes volume, repeat, repeat.

[TexasRanger]

Lack of education about health and safety. Not to mention bad manners.

Standard for this part of the world.

Drives me mad too.

[mikethevigoman]

Perhaps he woke up to this !

[Tony Clifton]

It is a shame that some things are tolerated in our society.

The problem is that they do work!

One is the noise pollution that you are talking about.

I hate it too having problems with my ears and loud noises hurts them. (too many of my younger years standing too close to loud PA systems)

But i noticed at one of these sella-thons in one of the big malls in Bangkok last year that the ones with the loudest volume usually have the most people watching.

I've even seen an excellent band playing at a huge street fair with a normal sounding PA system, and someone selling cookware just across the way with a better one. Guess which one the crowd was watching? Yeah, the cookware.

The other one that society not only allows, but it's a real shame that it works is: Packaging.

Don't you love it when you come home after buying that new battery for your cell phone and SD card and find that although the things are so small, they fill up your wastebasket?

I guess it's to discourage shoplifting even though they are in a locked case in the store.

But unfortunately, packaging works. I know it does because i tested some product in my retail days when i put hang tags on some jackets i was selling. Some people even refused to buy them without the hang tags. Oh well, i better not hijack this thread but................

It's not only Thais that like to make loud noises as they go through life. How about all of those big chopper dudes?

How do you like when THEY come roaring by you?

They were first lining up for the food, while listening to the band.

[baabaabobo]

I hear you! - or rather I don't

[JBL]

It's like the poor control of compression and bad gain structure of the audio on Thai TV it will go from quite a reasonable level of sound with a news program to a blasting promo and then on to a game show which is distorting the input preamps somewhere in the signal path, thank god they only muck it up in the analogue domain

[Tony Clifton]

The national anthem is always cranked up at 6 pm on the tv, seems the techs think it'll be louder at the other end, the result is terrible distortion of the national anthem and me picking up the remote to switch to another channel.

[Wellington]

It's like the poor control of compression and bad gain structure of the audio on Thai TV it will go from quite a reasonable level of sound with a news program to a blasting promo and then on to a game show which is distorting the input preamps somewhere in the signal path, thank god they only muck it up in the analogue domain

Quite!

We have just come back from Jungceylon and a trip round the new Robinson and lunch downstairs in the food court. Very good.

But nowhere were we aware of sound at unbearable levels like Central, and the P.A. system worked clearly and quietly.

There's a lesson here for Central

Or all of us ;Switch .

[Super Hans]

Talking of racket, who's that farang fella with the shaved head (sides), who bangs out Thai songs at the top of his voice? I can't imagine he's actually busking?

[smartecosse]

Talking of racket, who's that farang fella with the shaved head (sides), who bangs out Thai songs at the top of his voice? I can't imagine he's actually busking?

at least he gives all the tuk tuk drivers something to laugh at when they are not too busy shouting "taxi" at any non thai that happens to walk past

[smartecosse]

It's not only Thais that like to make loud noises as they go through life. How about all of those big chopper dudes?

How do you like when THEY come roaring by you?

Yes but thats not cos they are deaf they are simply compensating for having a very very very very small "lunch box"

[mikethevigoman]

Does anyone remember that classic piece in monty python where he was on about liking to shout, then the interviewer asked the wife ( probably eric idle ) who replied " I AGREE WITH MY HUSBAND " .Jeez i miss that sort of humour,..

[donna]

does anyone know the email address of central festival administration? i have been googling but cannot find it. i am gonna have a weho whinge to them about the racket.....

[baabaabobo]

does anyone know the email address of central festival administration? i have been googling but cannot find it. i am gonna have a weho whinge to them about the racket.....

[email protected]

[Wellington]

does anyone know the email address of central festival administration? i have been googling but cannot find it. i am gonna have a weho whinge to them about the racket.....

Good for you.

Get a load of signatures and start a petition. Tell them we're all going elsewhere!

[karlbkk]

forget the pain killers sounds like you need dechamp powders in water.

as for the crap in central if we did it we would be told to turn it down.

i have a bar in chalong next door is a thai bar now they can play the crap as much as they want a full vol now when i play good music they moan about it and tell me to turn it down then they put on the same cd as mine and turn it up thats thais for you.

[donna]

well i have written them an email (not quite weho, but it should get the point across) and am waiting for their response.

[baabaabobo]

Judging by the awful noise yesterday (some beauty contest in front of TOPS) they did not get your e-mail or "frankly don't give ######"

[donna]

i would say its the latter. they havent replied (not that i really expected them to).