Security Guards

[kat]

Yeah, that's a big part of it for me - loss of privacy. There is no boundary between your personal business and their professional or removed position. It's grating, especially where you live.

[Boo]

kat, I have expereinced it too but tend to just blank them, I dont even look their way or acknowledge their presence. Eventually they get the gist. Ususally if I have to deal with them, I am to the point but not friendly, no smiles or expression. If they think I am bitch all the better cause it will make them think twice about getting invoved in my business

I think it is hard for guys to know what kat is talking about. As a single women she has to live in this building & these guys are supposed to defend the building, if she is getting creepy vibes from one of them then this is an invasion into the one place she should feel safe. kat, get some mace & make sure the doors are locked up at night. i doubt very much if this guy even knows he is being a smug, creepy ###### but better to be safe than sorry.

[kat]

Yeah, thanks Boo. I take the same approach as you described. I don't think he is harmful, but it does violate your sense of security - literally!

I knew other women, and especially foreign women - were going to know what I was talking about. I think Thai women get it too, but then again most stay inside the unspoken rules and for good reason.

[kat]

Wow, so no one else has any other stories about security guards except me, boo, and Jing Jing. Well, I'm surprised. Maybe the problems and invasion of privacy aren't as widespread as I though, except if you're a female.

[meom]

I stayed for a while in a condotel where the upper floor condo's were rented out to temporary guests.

One night a french guy got into an argument with his rented girlfriend. For whatever reason she wouldn't let him in the room. He was pissed out of his mind so initially he started screaming and punching on the door and after a while the girlfriend let him in.

Going by the noise he made he really went for it once inside. A lot of screaming and shouting from both him and the girl.

By this time the security guard arrived with three of his mates. Initially they politely asked the guy to open the door so they could check what was the problem. Without result; he started threatening them, shout abuse about thai people and girls in particular. The girl started screaming again so by this time the security broke down the door and basically beat the guy to a pulp afterwhich they dragged him outside, put him in the elevator and handed him over to the police.

I think they did a good job cause the girl was pretty beat up and they gave the falang some back which obviously the girl could never have done.

Edited September 12, 2006 by meom

[thaibebop]

Wow, so no one else has any other stories about security guards except me, boo, and Jing Jing. Well, I'm surprised. Maybe the problems and invasion of privacy aren't as widespread as I though, except if you're a female.

I've dealt with rent-a-cops in the US, does that count?

[edd]

I live in a condo building that has "24-hour" security, with guards that sit at a desk in front of the building. These guys rotate quite a bit, with the last batch from a different company all fired for some non-transparent reason of which we can only guess. Before that, I heard it was a different batch.

Now they've got these older guys, which is fine, but one of them is about middle-age and seems to think that he can stand around and openly stare at me when I return home late, while smiling this very self-satisfied smug smile. It is like he is passing judgement, or making some kind of commentary on my life, and assuming that he has the authority and the right over me to do it, even though he is a security guard in a building where I live.

Quite frankly, this creeps me out, and I've started to lock my inner bedroom door at night, in fear of the security guard!

I stay on line pretty late at an internet site, chatting on TV and to friends at all hours around the world. I always take a taxi home after midnight, even though it is only 35 baht. The older guards are always looking to see how much taxi money I spend, and the younger middle-aged guy just stands around and looks and smiles as if he has some right to comment.

After 4 years here, I've yet to understand the value of these security guards to me as a foreign tenant. They are either asleep after 1 a.m., or they are watching everything I do and silently passing judgement or imposing themselves where they have no right. The last place I lived, the guards were very nice, but the older one had a very good and daily check-in relationship with the BIB. I'm glad he liked me

What are your impressions of your security guards?

Take charge of the situation, when you arrive home late get out of the taxi start to walk in to the flats, stop, look to the left or right and pretend that you see an intruder, continue into where the security guard is say to him firmly.

''I HAVE SEEN SOMEONE OUT THERE, GO AND HAVE A LOOK, WHEN YOU HAVE MADE SURE THAT THERE IS NO PROBLEM YOU COME TO MY FLAT AND REPORT TO ME. I WILL BE WAITING.''

Make certain that he knows that you are in control of him.

If you don’t get what you require from him, (That he behave in a professional way), then contact the security company and inform them about his lack of suitability for the job.

DONT BE A VICTIM !!

[kenk3z]

It is hard to employ good people. The best guards tend to be quiet and helpful. More typical are the guards that quietly gossip among themselves for entertainment. If they want to test how "out-of-line" they can get, then they will more openly make comments and make general rudeness.

I happened to solve a case of rude guards by making a rather slow, obvious and deliberate process to take a good picture of them with my camera. I waited for a full face shot, took it, and then looked at the LCD review screen and gave a good nod of satisfaction. No more problem.

But of course that place of business will never see me again.

Also, I expect that if a place knows they have rude guards, they will fire them instantly. Surely more are ready to take their place.

kenk3z

[AmeriThai]

I've rarely seen or heard of the kind of smugness Kat is talking about, but it does happen sometimes. At a guess, I'd say it's more a matter of the individual's personality. Not the same situation, but the same attitude of smugness.

Years ago, on the corner of Soi 8, just off Sukhumvit, a group of tuk-tuk drivers would park there. Rather than being on the road looking for someone needing a ride, they just sat around BSing or gawking at people walking by. There was a manner about them that I could only describe as then thinking of themselves as being lords of the tuk-tuk world. What they were really interested in were new tourists, so they could 'sell' them on the so-called shopping or sightseeing tours. Whenever anyone would walk by, it wasn't unusual for the 'leader' of the group to start making snide remarks in Thai and assumed the farangs wouldn't understand it. Of course, the others would follow the lead and chime in and start laughing as well. In general, these guys seemd pretty harmless, but they also seemed pretty obnoxious. They knew I wasn't interested in a ride to sleezy tailor shop (so they could get both fare and a kickback) and the 'leader' made a remark to me in order to get a chuckle from the other guys. Rather than get bent out of shape about it, I made a humorous reply in Thai back to him in effect turning his comment back around to him. I guess it sort of caught him by surprise, but everyone, including himself, got a laugh out of it. Although they'd give passersby their usual smug gawk, they never gave me any of their crap smugness or wisecrack remarks after that.

As for hotels, etc., I can't say I've ever noticed anything other than a professional and helpful attitide from security people. And at most fo the housing projects we've been to for extended periods of time, the security guards at the entrances stand at attention and salute when they recognize the vehicles of any of the residents living there. That's not to say there all places are like that, but I suspect the smug security 'lords' are either not so common or we just haven't encountered it very much. I can only guess they realize if they don't act in a professional manner, they'll be quickly unemployed.

[That kid Chris]

Kat you are a middle aged woman, when he stops giving you the glad eye thats when you should start to complain.

[Ling Kae]

Kat, my take is that they are trying to work you out. Who are you, do you work, why nobody comes home with you, do you work as a hooker (no offence as I know you don't), why can you stay so long etc. and there is the other thought, they are just perving at you sexually. The smugness you recieve is probably his inability to work you out coupled with his Thai man superiority which obviously won't work with you and he gets frustrated about that. I would continue to do what Boo and you already do, just ignore him as if he is not there.

Security guards in general I find useless here in Thailand. In my condo complex we have a proximity card system where you swipe to open the door. The Guard sits outside the door. I come home all hours of the night and day and quite often there are Thai people queued up outside without cards trying to get in, guess what I swipe to get in they follow through without the guard making any attempt to stop them so what's the point? Most of the time at 1 or 2 AM only the gate opener is awake, the rest are asleep.

[terry57]

cricky's kat,

look ive just got home from work, read your post and have worked things out for you in 2 bloody seconds.

the reason the security gaurd is giving you the eye is because your a georgous looking piece of bleeding crumpet.

how can they not have a top look at your lovely self ?

and i can feel your karma and beauty through my computer.

now you are not perfect, as you are an american, but your still top of the ladder in my books.

its real sad your going back home to america kat, as we could of been top friends me and you.

btw,

dont worry about jdinasia as he can be a bit sad at times and ive read his posts having a crack at your good self.

any way kat,

respect to you and as ive told you before,

when you get to N.Y.C. , keep looking up.

cheers kat.

[autonomous_unit]

For a while we lived in a condo in Bangkoknoi. The guards there were much like you describe, Kat, though as a large western male I wasn't too concerned about them perving. However, my wife (a Thai) commented that she felt uncomfortable with the male guards and their stares if she arrived home late from work in the evening, and particularly when I was away on travel and she knew she had to go back to the condo by herself.

I will note, in our building it was also obvious that the late night guard shift was drinking on the job. So some of their smiling and staring was more blatant than usual.

There were also plenty of rumors suggesting that the guards were replaced after some burglaries, because it was thought that they were involved.

[jdinasia]

kat, I have expereinced it too but tend to just blank them, I dont even look their way or acknowledge their presence. Eventually they get the gist. Ususally if I have to deal with them, I am to the point but not friendly, no smiles or expression. If they think I am bitch all the better cause it will make them think twice about getting invoved in my business

I think it is hard for guys to know what kat is talking about. As a single women she has to live in this building & these guys are supposed to defend the building, if she is getting creepy vibes from one of them then this is an invasion into the one place she should feel safe. kat, get some mace & make sure the doors are locked up at night. i doubt very much if this guy even knows he is being a smug, creepy ###### but better to be safe than sorry.

Kinda my point Boo ......... If you don't know you are being smug or creepy .. that means it is a simple case of mind-reading!

Edited September 13, 2006 by jdinasia

[joeyswags]

Okay...here is my experience with condo security. Currently I have a group that has its okay points and bad points. They seem like honest people and try to teach me the issan language. However they do some things that are beyond my understanding. I drive a motor bike to work everyday. The security guy on morning shift parks his motor bike next to mine. He always puts his helmet on my freakin mirror. I DONT UNDERSTAND...i once was in a bad mood and even dropped it on the ground in front of him..another time i took it off and walked it over to him and said "no more". Still everyday it happens. Whats wrong with his mirror. He watches me put mine under my seat everytime i come home. What makes him think i want to see his smelly helmet on my mirror everymorning?

Another time i came home from a jog and they were painting some poles....while drinking! It was a windy day and needless to say the paint got on my motor bike (actually its my wifes motorbike). They slowly cleaned it off over a couple of weeks. Wife was pretty upset.

I think all in all...security guards are bored out of their minds. Could be the helmet on my motor bike thing is an undercover betting ring between them to see how many days will go by before i throw his freakin helmet on the roof!

[terry57]

Okay...here is my experience with condo security. Currently I have a group that has its okay points and bad points. They seem like honest people and try to teach me the issan language. However they do some things that are beyond my understanding. I drive a motor bike to work everyday. The security guy on morning shift parks his motor bike next to mine. He always puts his helmet on my freakin mirror. I DONT UNDERSTAND...i once was in a bad mood and even dropped it on the ground in front of him..another time i took it off and walked it over to him and said "no more". Still everyday it happens. Whats wrong with his mirror. He watches me put mine under my seat everytime i come home. What makes him think i want to see his smelly helmet on my mirror everymorning?

Another time i came home from a jog and they were painting some poles....while drinking! It was a windy day and needless to say the paint got on my motor bike (actually its my wifes motorbike). They slowly cleaned it off over a couple of weeks. Wife was pretty upset.

I think all in all...security guards are bored out of their minds. Could be the helmet on my motor bike thing is an undercover betting ring between them to see how many days will go by before i throw his freakin helmet on the roof!

well that would piss me off if he keep putting his helmet on my bike for no good reason but the thais have got some real strange habits which us falang cannot get a handle on.

frigging paint on the bike as well ?

if you were back in farang land you would smash his helmet into 50 pieces.

unfortunatly you are not and to do so would mean you could possibly eat a bullet sandwich for breakfast.

very frustrating situation.

the guy is obviously doing it to piss you off, unfortunatly you must be very carefull how you tackle it.

how about covering your bike up with a cover and see what happens ?

[kat]

It is hard to employ good people. The best guards tend to be quiet and helpful. More typical are the guards that quietly gossip among themselves for entertainment. If they want to test how "out-of-line" they can get, then they will more openly make comments and make general rudeness.

I happened to solve a case of rude guards by making a rather slow, obvious and deliberate process to take a good picture of them with my camera. I waited for a full face shot, took it, and then looked at the LCD review screen and gave a good nod of satisfaction. No more problem.

But of course that place of business will never see me again.

Also, I expect that if a place knows they have rude guards, they will fire them instantly. Surely more are ready to take their place.

kenk3z

That's a good one - the camera. In this case, most from this new batch at my building are polite or professionally neutral, except this one guy in particular. However, the enitre building staff is prone to gossip when they are outside together, or when you do something that interests them, like come home with a bunch of shopping or with friends, or after 12 a.m., which I frequently do.

Kat you are a middle aged woman, when he stops giving you the glad eye thats when you should start to complain.

So, what does that mean, women over 35 here should be grateful for any attention, even from the likes of creeps like you? I'm sure Halle Berry and other "middle-aged" women will be glad to be put on alert about this.

Kat, my take is that they are trying to work you out. Who are you, do you work, why nobody comes home with you, do you work as a hooker (no offence as I know you don't), why can you stay so long etc. and there is the other thought, they are just perving at you sexually. The smugness you recieve is probably his inability to work you out coupled with his Thai man superiority which obviously won't work with you and he gets frustrated about that. I would continue to do what Boo and you already do, just ignore him as if he is not there.

Security guards in general I find useless here in Thailand. In my condo complex we have a proximity card system where you swipe to open the door. The Guard sits outside the door. I come home all hours of the night and day and quite often there are Thai people queued up outside without cards trying to get in, guess what I swipe to get in they follow through without the guard making any attempt to stop them so what's the point? Most of the time at 1 or 2 AM only the gate opener is awake, the rest are asleep.

Thanks for your feedback. This was my exact feeling as well. They have no context in which to put me, and so this particular guard and other men in my building were making very presumptuous assumptions.

I have to say, that I also find security guards competely useless here as well. That's what I should've said from the beginning. The guards in my first building were friendly and sweet, but not really helpful. In fact, I could see how one of them (the one with daily contact with the police) could be quite UNHELPFUL if he took a dislike to someone. Scary.

For a while we lived in a condo in Bangkoknoi. The guards there were much like you describe, Kat, though as a large western male I wasn't too concerned about them perving. However, my wife (a Thai) commented that she felt uncomfortable with the male guards and their stares if she arrived home late from work in the evening, and particularly when I was away on travel and she knew she had to go back to the condo by herself.

I will note, in our building it was also obvious that the late night guard shift was drinking on the job. So some of their smiling and staring was more blatant than usual.

There were also plenty of rumors suggesting that the guards were replaced after some burglaries, because it was thought that they were involved.

Yeah, it's clear to me that men and women might be hassled or judged differently by security. I really appreciate this comment, because now I can put it into better context in how they treat a Thai woman, or how she feels, as well. I'm sure men have their own issues with them as well.

It's not just Thailand, but I think it is a cultural thing throughout SEA. In Viet Nam, I had security guards charge my ex-boyfriend for coming upstairs with me to my room, because when he came to visit me, the hotel that I stayed at longterm was full, so he had to stay at one nearby. They did the same at his hotel. That really upset me.

Sometimes I wonder about the real function of securtity here. I think it may be worse for a woman in a way, because then she has to deal with all this traditional, conventional stuff about her hours and lifestyle.

At schools, security guards in Thailand make sure university students are dressed properly.

In buildings, more than half have been asleep by 2 a.m. And if they are not asleep, they are watching YOU the tenant for the wrong reasons. If I have a real problem, such as being locked out, they have no clue or inclination as to what to do - useless for me.

From there, one or two conformed to the standard expectation of a security guard. Dismal. I definitely still feel this culture shock, or lack of privacy and boundaries.

Edited September 13, 2006 by kat

[joeyswags]

Okay...here is my experience with condo security. Currently I have a group that has its okay points and bad points. They seem like honest people and try to teach me the issan language. However they do some things that are beyond my understanding. I drive a motor bike to work everyday. The security guy on morning shift parks his motor bike next to mine. He always puts his helmet on my freakin mirror. I DONT UNDERSTAND...i once was in a bad mood and even dropped it on the ground in front of him..another time i took it off and walked it over to him and said "no more". Still everyday it happens. Whats wrong with his mirror. He watches me put mine under my seat everytime i come home. What makes him think i want to see his smelly helmet on my mirror everymorning?

Another time i came home from a jog and they were painting some poles....while drinking! It was a windy day and needless to say the paint got on my motor bike (actually its my wifes motorbike). They slowly cleaned it off over a couple of weeks. Wife was pretty upset.

I think all in all...security guards are bored out of their minds. Could be the helmet on my motor bike thing is an undercover betting ring between them to see how many days will go by before i throw his freakin helmet on the roof!

well that would piss me off if he keep putting his helmet on my bike for no good reason but the thais have got some real strange habits which us falang cannot get a handle on.

frigging paint on the bike as well ?

if you were back in farang land you would smash his helmet into 50 pieces.

unfortunatly you are not and to do so would mean you could possibly eat a bullet sandwich for breakfast.

very frustrating situation.

the guy is obviously doing it to piss you off, unfortunatly you must be very carefull how you tackle it.

how about covering your bike up with a cover and see what happens ?

yes, i have wondered why he wants to piss me off? He and my wife are from the same part of the north east, maybe he has a crush on her? In any case, covering the bike is a good idea. Im sure he could get fired for drinking on the job, but i dont want to go that far...as you said...bullet sandwiches dont taste too good.

[qualtrough]

Yeah, and unfortunately, it is something that cannot be explained to people who do not want to hear it. So, for those who do, here is breaking news:

manners and attitudes are very often communicated non-verbally, especially in Asia.

Most adults can tell the difference between an ordinary friendly smile, and a come on smile; most women in Asia can tell the difference between an ordinary friendly attitude, and a proprietary one; I was talking about the latter.

Here in Thailand, I have often encountered this attitude from older Thai men, especially when I am out late and coming home alone. It is an attitude that crosses the anonymous sphere and assumes much in the way they glance at you openly. It is quite obvious in an otherwise polite society.

As a female here, I think I am well versed in this attitude, as it has occured a few times, or enough for me to notice a pattern.

What are other patterns or experiences other people have with security guards or building people overstepping their bounds?

Kat, you have chosen to live in a culture wherein the majority of people think that a single woman going out alone and coming back at all hours of the night is not a good thing. That attitude is not going to change in your lifetime so you will get 'looks' from time to time. Having said that, if your security staff is stepping over the line or making your feel uncomfortable you need to inform the management.

[m155g0ld]

Hi Kat,

I understand completely! There is one particular security guard at my condo building who also gives me the creeps. I'm not single and live here with my boyfriend (both farang) but of course I often leave the building and return on my own; to and from work every day for example.

I thought for a long time that this security guard was saying "taxi, taxi" (as in 'would you like a taxi?') every morning as I passed him on my way out to work. It took me a good few weeks of this every day to realise he was actually saying "sexy sexy"!

When I come back after work he races to the door to open it for me and rambles on in Thai whilst giving me the most revolting looks up and down.

I am pretty resilient when it comes to things like this but I must say it does make me a little nervous. I'm sure he just thinks it's harmless fun and if this were to happen in the UK and the guy could understand me I'd probably quip back or just tell him to get lost but the language barrier means I usually either completely ignore him or else just smile and say Sawasdee Ka. My saving grace is that he usually only works the day shifts so there is little chance of him being there when I get home late at night.

We have made a point of getting to know the staff in our building since we moved in and they are all really helpful, especially with lugging shopping bags from the supermarket in from the taxi. If my boyfriend goes out to buy some beers he often gives whoever's on the door a bottle of Singha, and there was one night I arrived home late without any change to pay the taxi driver and the security guard (not the one in question) paid for me.

I guess you have to take the rough with the smooth. They're a nice bunch all in all and I spose if I were in the UK this one guy wouldn't bother me in the least. Dunno why he makes me so uncomfortable and I will continue to shrug it off.

[That kid Chris]

[quote name='kat'

So, what does that mean, women over 35 here should be grateful for any attention, even from the likes of creeps like you? I'm sure Halle Berry and other "middle-aged" women will be glad to be put on alert about this.

Creeps like me, can you even tell who is being creepy without seeing them?

You are much nicer in person than you come accross online, why are you so angry?

you don't look at all like Halle Berry so maybe thats a bad comparison.

[midas]

I agree with you Kat , I'm sure there are many instances

where the use of electronic security systems in Thailand

would be just as effective as a bunch of security guards.

l also find Thai security guards in my building

to be very invasive and nosey sometimes.

To me the whole security industry here seems grossly

overdone -is it becuse guards are cheap ?

You dont see this in other parts of the world - not

to this extent - not even in poor Eastern European countries.

Otherwise if there is a true need for all this

beefed up security here, we must be living in a society

where the citizens are perceived to be very dishonest

which doesn't tie with Buddhism ?

[meemiathai]

Dear Kat,

There are 6 billion people on this planet, so why let trivial things like that ruin your mood.

You are a very sensitive woman I can tell. I was brought up by my single-parent mother who is a very very sensitive woman too. So I know exactly what you are talking about and I feel sorry for you. But bear in mind not everyone is as sensitive. So maybe that guy doesn't even know what is happening. Also lack of communication might have you mis-interpret his intensions.(I'm just saying maybe ) Maybe he is really a jerk! They do exist, I know in plentiful! Anyway you are leaving soon, so I am not going to suggest anyway of dealing with the situation.

BTW, I am a bit jealous about the fact that Chris having met you and me haven't. It's a shame really.

If you ever do come to HK, please let me know. I am going to tell you that I am gay(although I in fact am a lesbian trapped inside a man's body) and see how playfully flirtatious the way you dance. No worries, it won't be taken seriously. Or is it you really have the power to turn gay men straight?

Just kidding.

[farangene]

....

To me the whole security industry here seems grossly

overdone -is it becuse guards are cheap ?

You dont see this in other parts of the world - not

to this extent - not even in poor Eastern European countries.

...

When I first arrived in THailand, I commented to a Thai friend on the large number of security people I see around Thailand. His comment was "they are just a decoration and that if there is any real trouble, they are the last people you want to call."

If you use that philosophy, it gets easier to deal with them. Most of them have no real training and are just occupying a desk to make a few baht for food.

[meemiathai]

See how things can be mis-interpreted sometimes.

[terry57]

Dear Kat,

There are 6 billion people on this planet, so why let trivial things like that ruin your mood.

You are a very sensitive woman I can tell. I was brought up by my single-parent mother who is a very very sensitive woman too. So I know exactly what you are talking about and I feel sorry for you. But bear in mind not everyone is as sensitive. So maybe that guy doesn't even know what is happening. Also lack of communication might have you mis-interpret his intensions.(I'm just saying maybe ) Maybe he is really a jerk! They do exist, I know in plentiful! Anyway you are leaving soon, so I am not going to suggest anyway of dealing with the situation.

BTW, I am a bit jealous about the fact that Chris having met you and me haven't. It's a shame really.

If you ever do come to HK, please let me know. I am going to tell you that I am gay(although I in fact am a lesbian trapped inside a man's body) and see how playfully flirtatious the way you dance. No worries, it won't be taken seriously. Or is it you really have the power to turn gay men straight?

Just kidding.

a nice little side trip to hong kong on the way home seems good kat.

at least you wont have to worry about being hit on.

security gaurds at his place are most prob'ly more friendly as well.

have a good trip kat.

[meemiathai]

Dear Kat,

There are 6 billion people on this planet, so why let trivial things like that ruin your mood.

You are a very sensitive woman I can tell. I was brought up by my single-parent mother who is a very very sensitive woman too. So I know exactly what you are talking about and I feel sorry for you. But bear in mind not everyone is as sensitive. So maybe that guy doesn't even know what is happening. Also lack of communication might have you mis-interpret his intensions.(I'm just saying maybe ) Maybe he is really a jerk! They do exist, I know in plentiful! Anyway you are leaving soon, so I am not going to suggest anyway of dealing with the situation.

BTW, I am a bit jealous about the fact that Chris having met you and me haven't. It's a shame really.

If you ever do come to HK, please let me know. I am going to tell you that I am gay(although I in fact am a lesbian trapped inside a man's body) and see how playfully flirtatious the way you dance. No worries, it won't be taken seriously. Or is it you really have the power to turn gay men straight?

Just kidding.

a nice little side trip to hong kong on the way home seems good kat.

at least you wont have to worry about being hit on.

security gaurds at his place are most prob'ly more friendly as well.

have a good trip kat.

And when is your coming to HK, terry?

[Donz]

Security guards in most of the world are crap.

My friend owns a security company and does most of sydney's night clubs.

They are not even allowed to punch anyone or they can get sued.

They are only allowed to push and thats it.

[kat]

double edit of the post below.

Edited September 13, 2006 by kat

[kat]

Oh, did I meet you? Well, I don't remember you, so, you didn't make much of an impression.

I did not say I looked like Halle Berry. I simply said that there are many "middle-aged" women that don't conform to the image that you tried to use as a SLUR, and I don't either.

And yes, you are a f*cking creep if you would even think to make a comment like you did.

If you ever do come to HK, please let me know. I am going to tell you that I am gay(although I in fact am a lesbian trapped inside a man's body) and see how playfully flirtatious the way you dance. No worries, it won't be taken seriously. Or is it you really have the power to turn gay men straight?

Just kidding.

Right, I'm hysterical, I'm sensitive, and I'm a mind reader. But to many reasonable men and all the women who posted here, I make sense. Right, go figure.

If I'm in Hong Kong I'd be glad to look you up. Even though you irk me sometimes, you always end up making me laugh.

....

To me the whole security industry here seems grossly

overdone -is it becuse guards are cheap ?

You dont see this in other parts of the world - not

to this extent - not even in poor Eastern European countries.

...

When I first arrived in THailand, I commented to a Thai friend on the large number of security people I see around Thailand. His comment was "they are just a decoration and that if there is any real trouble, they are the last people you want to call."

If you use that philosophy, it gets easier to deal with them. Most of them have no real training and are just occupying a desk to make a few baht for food.

Yeah, exactly right. And as the woman with the tinkerbell avatar mentioned, a lot of them are really sweet. I spent my first New Year's in LOS with the security guards and building staff of my former place (I was up all night finishing a report and couldn't go anywhere).

It's not that they are not sweet or good, it's about the invasion of privacy, and a particular sense of overstepping boundaries when it comes to foreigners - in some cases - and the different ways they do it according to gender. And all with very little "security" gained.

edit: bold

Edited September 13, 2006 by kat