The all-new Post of the Week thread!

[SoiBiker]

Not a big enough sample.

Size isn't everything.

[StreetCowboy]

Not a big enough sample.

Transam's sample was big enough.

[SoiBiker]

Some people bring their misery with them and then blame Thailand.

Too many people have unrealistic expectations for what Thailand will offer them, compared to the experiences they've had most of their lives back in farangland, just as children develop unrealistic expectations about all the presents they'll receive at Christmas. Once they've settled into life here, or opened all their presents, they may feel let down, but rather than accept that the problem was caused by their "irrational exuberance," [ to borrow a sentiment from Alan Greenspan] they want to blame Thailand or their parents for not fulfilling their childish dreams.

If you plan to come to Thailand to stay, don't fill your mind with "visions of sugarplums dancing in your head." Life here can be great, but of course there will be some frustrations and disappointments, just like most of us have experienced throughout our lives, along with the pleasures and enjoyment.

I'm still enjoying life in Thailand after over 15 years of part-time and full-time residence here. Don't go looking for reasons to be unhappy or focus on the minor inconveniences or delude yourself into thinking life back in farangland was so great. The problem isn't Thailand but more to do with your personal issues and outlook.

[thaiduncankk]

Some people bring their misery with them and then blame Thailand.

Too many people have unrealistic expectations for what Thailand will offer them, compared to the experiences they've had most of their lives back in farangland, just as children develop unrealistic expectations about all the presents they'll receive at Christmas. Once they've settled into life here, or opened all their presents, they may feel let down, but rather than accept that the problem was caused by their "irrational exuberance," [ to borrow a sentiment from Alan Greenspan] they want to blame Thailand or their parents for not fulfilling their childish dreams.

If you plan to come to Thailand to stay, don't fill your mind with "visions of sugarplums dancing in your head." Life here can be great, but of course there will be some frustrations and disappointments, just like most of us have experienced throughout our lives, along with the pleasures and enjoyment.

I'm still enjoying life in Thailand after over 15 years of part-time and full-time residence here. Don't go looking for reasons to be unhappy or focus on the minor inconveniences or delude yourself into thinking life back in farangland was so great. The problem isn't Thailand but more to do with your personal issues and outlook.

On the same score, if you receive a toy that is broken, do you blame your 'irrational exuberance' or look for one in good order ?

[SoiBiker]

Up until 10am yesterday I asssumed my British Christmas culinary skills would not be called upon again. As you may know turkeys are rarer than rocking horse meat this year in Thailand.

So I was sitting in Norberts Pizza4U bar in Kantharalak - dropped by to pick up German bread, honest (but seeing a Beer Lao Dark in his fridge it would have been churlish to let it be wasted on any old customer who thinks Heineken is a good beer).

Phone rings - it's my wife. Why we not have Kissmas food this year? No turkeys darling. She then informs me that our friends' (expat ThaiV member -I'll protect his ID in case he gets inundated with requests next year) parents in the next village have taken up turkey farming.

So I agre to 150 baht a kilo and do a quick list of stuff to buy and head straight off to Sisaket Makro, Tesco and Big C. Spend about 1500 baht on veggies and ingredients for those all important peripherals - gravy, stuffing (have to strip sausage meat out of some nice pork sausages), sausages wrapped in bacon, cheddar for the cheese sauce, breadcrumbs and cream for the bread sauce. Expected to have difficulty getting the right herbs and spices , but did at least find bay leaves and thyme to go with some herbs I already had. (Halleluja-inspiration this morning had me going back to Sisaket - it's kinda weird doing your visa extension renewal on Christmas Day but why not? Managed to find Nutmegs in a Chinese food shop).

So I get back home after an exhausting afternoons shopping yesterday to find a 7kg fresh Turkey sitting in the kitchen. Thank god for farming family - my FIL was happy to be bribed to do the dirty work - no way am I sticking my hand up the @rse of some bird I only just met.

Back from Sisaket immi at 2pm today and all the ingredients lined up on the counter (photo to come). Target chow time 6.30. Oven's warming up. CLICK - fai ****ing dap!!!

Comes back on 20 minutes later after frantic call to local PEA. I'm no fool I'm goin to wait to see how reliable the power is. Wait 20 mins then heat oven again. Bird at last gets bacon dressed and stuffed and goes in.

ETA now 8pm but extended Thai family happy to wait in anticipation at baan yai - they loved my first efforts last year, particularly the trimmings. I think actually they would have been happy with platefuls of bacon-wrapped sausages, stuffing balls and crispy bacon off the top of the bird. Plus copious glasses of box wine!

So now its approaching 5 pm and I'm sitting here alone in a huff. 15 minutes into cooking the power went again. The bird came out dangerously warm and has now been removed for BBQ round at baan yai plus tom kha turkey. Anybody any idea what to do with 2 pints of bread sauce?

Have not decided whether to carry out my threat to avoid eating this salmanella trap but at least I've warned them all - and received the 'falang baa look' big time of course.

I'll stop sulking now. I was bred in Carlisle, Cumbria and childhood friends and former sweethearts are no doubt having a much $hittier day than me (a bad month of floods). If the power stays out - d_amn your black hearts PEA - power rarely goes here except in rainy season storms - maybe I can persuade wifey to go sleep in Ubon and hit the bars. Every cloud has to have a silver lining.

My mother would have understood. There are hoards

of housewives out there in the UK for whom a fai dap on Christmas Day is the ultimate nightmare. Never happened to me Mum in 50 years of Christmas dinners she cooked for me and different forms of 'us'.

It happened to this 64 year old male on only his second attempt. I should not have taken up aetheism. Constant prayer on Christmas Day is obviously the answer.

How was your day?

[SoiBiker]

Transam: What size chest are your jeans??

[SoiBiker]

So, this week's winner is SantiSuk's turkey tale.

[Patsycat]

Yup!! Great story!!

[puukao]

I created, "Post of the Day" "Post of the Hour" and "Post of the Minute" Those are trademarked!!!!!

I have 122,324 other threads at the patent office!!!!!

I also have "Best Threads for first time posters." "Best Thread to expat after 11 beers" and "Top post for backpacker after paying bar fine."

TV has hired me as a consultant, top-level, Senior VP stuff...

[SoiBiker]

Within the ex-pat community in Thailand we appear to have more than our fair share of cynics. Increasingly, cynicism occupies the mental and psychological space we once reserved for hope. Better to expect nothing, in this view, than to risk disappointment. Yet this very detachment renders us impotent, and thus eternally cynical.

I avoid negative people like the plague, in my experience, one of the signs of negativity is cynicism. Negativity and cynicism manifest themselves in a myriad of ways here in LoS - for example, we all know jaded ex-pats who classify all Thai women as 'money grabbing bitches'. They do this based on their own personal experience, never once pausing to ask the question: 'what could I have done which might have led to a different outcome'. Instead they blame anyone but themselves and endlessly bang on with their negative stereotype of all Thai ladies.

Yes cynicism is alive and well among expats in Thailand.

[SoiBiker]

A slow week this week, with everyone busy celebrating, so I think we'll roll the badge over till next week.

Nominations, please, for the first POTW of 2016!

[mad mary]

steven100

Posted 35 minutes ago

these are low life scammers ... we need to catch them and hand them over to the police ...