VOTE NOW: Poster of the Year GRAND FINALE 2015

[Jingthing]

Really, cut the BAWDY stuff or this is PUB bound.

[wooloomooloo]

... or this is PUB bound.

Not a bad idea.

[lannarebirth]

Make ThaiVisa great again!

VOTE TRANSAM!

In your heart you know he's right.

You are a guy with vision...Perhaps a similar rascal to me, sure I don't know...BUT, I/we do stuff to make TVF interesting....I try....Upset a few BUT we are ALL different with views, BUT, if a question mark appears with a reader...Thats cool...

I like it when you articulate your thoughts more and post music videos less.

[14 the other side]

I understand there are those who get their panties in a twist over the term Farang, but I am not one of those individuals. When I was trying to come up with an online identity to represent my new life far from Bangkok in the natural splendor of Chiang Rai, Village Farang just seemed to fit. I understand the nuances of Thai language and custom enough to treat each person and situation individually without a blanket response of resentment or condemnation. Small people walk around with a chip on their shoulder seeing the worst in others. It is easy to be critical and negative when you are insecure but I don't suffer from that condition. I embrace my farangness and don't apologize for using it in my online name.

I thought the name just meant you were the Village Psidium guajava

Just shows how little you know.

Given the proximity of where I assume you both live, have you met each other?

Professionally?

Socially?

Thoughts on each other?

[Jingthing]

POTY 2015 GRAND FINALE STANDINGS

NancyL 46 votes

Transam 44 votes

Null Vote* ?? votes

villagefarang 13 votes

SoiBiker 10 votes

Crazy Chef 1 -- 10 votes

THE POTTIES Committee in Milwaukee thanks you for voting.

POTY WINNER is crowned at midnight 30 December.

* Null Vote may not be eligible for the POTY crown.

Edited December 26, 2015 by Jingthing

[BookMan]

Rumour File

Villagefarang has invited Nancy to Chiangrai for a BBQ. He has assured her Mr Bitey is not on the menu

Edited December 27, 2015 by BookMan

[chiang mai]

So bring your own catsup then.

[villagefarang]

I understand there are those who get their panties in a twist over the term Farang, but I am not one of those individuals. When I was trying to come up with an online identity to represent my new life far from Bangkok in the natural splendor of Chiang Rai, Village Farang just seemed to fit. I understand the nuances of Thai language and custom enough to treat each person and situation individually without a blanket response of resentment or condemnation. Small people walk around with a chip on their shoulder seeing the worst in others. It is easy to be critical and negative when you are insecure but I don't suffer from that condition. I embrace my farangness and don't apologize for using it in my online name.

I thought the name just meant you were the Village Psidium guajava

Just shows how little you know.

Given the proximity of where I assume you both live, have you met each other?

Professionally?

Socially?

Thoughts on each other?

Looking at a map one might think Nancy and I are neighbors but Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai are worlds apart. So the two of us have never met and are not likely to as we live very different lives.

From all appearances she likes being the center of attention and involved with groups. She strikes me as more of a shepherd than a sheep but I am neither. I can work a room as well as anyone but I really prefer deep one on one conversations, think Charlie Rose, not some late night variety show host.

I am disappointed when I find myself to be the smartest person in the room or the most experienced. I have always sought out people I could look up to and admire, enriching my life and broadening my outlook. As I get older that is becoming a harder proposition to fulfill.

When we go to Chiang Mai we usually stay with Thai friends and do a little shopping and dinning together. I meet people easily but I do not need people and I do not gravitate toward groups. Not being in need of group or farang assistance here in Thailand, it is doubtful Nancy and I would cross paths.

[SoiBiker]

What's happened to Null vote?

I fear the true results are being suppressed.

If this continues, or we don't receive an assurance that Mr Vote will receive the crown if he wins, I may have to drop out in protest.

[villagefarang]

Rumour File

Villagefarang has invited Nancy to Chiangrai for a BBQ. He has assured her Mr Bitey is not on the menu

I am not a big BBQ fan. My preference is to sit down in a nice restaurant to enjoy good food and good conversation while letting someone else do the cooking. Preferably someplace far, far away from bad karaoke.

Edited December 27, 2015 by villagefarang

[BookMan]

Rumour File

Villagefarang has invited Nancy to Chiangrai for a BBQ. He has assured her Mr Bitey is not on the menu

I am not a big BBQ fan. My preference is to sit down in a nice restaurant to enjoy good food and good conversation while letting someone else do the cooking.

It was nice u compromised here for Nancy and went the BBQ route

[villagefarang]

Rumour File

Villagefarang has invited Nancy to Chiangrai for a BBQ. He has assured her Mr Bitey is not on the menu

I am not a big BBQ fan. My preference is to sit down in a nice restaurant to enjoy good food and good conversation while letting someone else do the cooking.

It was nice u compromised here for Nancy and went the BBQ route

The other part was just too disgusting to warrant a response.

Edited December 27, 2015 by villagefarang

[BookMan]

Looking at a map one might think Nancy and I are neighbors but Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai are worlds apart. So the two of us have never met and are not likely to as we live very different lives.

From all appearances she likes being the center of attention and involved with groups. She strikes me as more of a shepherd than a sheep but I am neither. I can work a room as well as anyone but I really prefer deep one on one conversations, think Charlie Rose, not some late night variety show host.

I am disappointed when I find myself to be the smartest person in the room or the most experienced. I have always sought out people I could look up to and admire, enriching my life and broadening my outlook. As I get older that is becoming a harder proposition to fulfill.

When we go to Chiang Mai we usually stay with Thai friends and do a little shopping and dinning together. I meet people easily but I do not need people and I do not gravitate toward groups. Not being in need of group or farang assistance here in Thailand, it is doubtful Nancy and I would cross paths.

I assume you wouldn't have to suffer too much disappointment in your life

[villagefarang]

Looking at a map one might think Nancy and I are neighbors but Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai are worlds apart. So the two of us have never met and are not likely to as we live very different lives.

From all appearances she likes being the center of attention and involved with groups. She strikes me as more of a shepherd than a sheep but I am neither. I can work a room as well as anyone but I really prefer deep one on one conversations, think Charlie Rose, not some late night variety show host.

I am disappointed when I find myself to be the smartest person in the room or the most experienced. I have always sought out people I could look up to and admire, enriching my life and broadening my outlook. As I get older that is becoming a harder proposition to fulfill.

When we go to Chiang Mai we usually stay with Thai friends and do a little shopping and dinning together. I meet people easily but I do not need people and I do not gravitate toward groups. Not being in need of group or farang assistance here in Thailand, it is doubtful Nancy and I would cross paths.

I assume you wouldn't have to suffer too much disappointment in your life

That is one of the reasons for being selective. People can be very disappointing.

[BookMan]

Looking at a map one might think Nancy and I are neighbors but Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai are worlds apart. So the two of us have never met and are not likely to as we live very different lives.

From all appearances she likes being the center of attention and involved with groups. She strikes me as more of a shepherd than a sheep but I am neither. I can work a room as well as anyone but I really prefer deep one on one conversations, think Charlie Rose, not some late night variety show host.

I am disappointed when I find myself to be the smartest person in the room or the most experienced. I have always sought out people I could look up to and admire, enriching my life and broadening my outlook. As I get older that is becoming a harder proposition to fulfill.

When we go to Chiang Mai we usually stay with Thai friends and do a little shopping and dinning together. I meet people easily but I do not need people and I do not gravitate toward groups. Not being in need of group or farang assistance here in Thailand, it is doubtful Nancy and I would cross paths.

I assume you wouldn't have to suffer too much disappointment in your life

That is one of the reasons for being selective. People can be very disappointing.

I keep an open mind myself and generally find the opposite

[villagefarang]

Looking at a map one might think Nancy and I are neighbors but Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai are worlds apart. So the two of us have never met and are not likely to as we live very different lives.

From all appearances she likes being the center of attention and involved with groups. She strikes me as more of a shepherd than a sheep but I am neither. I can work a room as well as anyone but I really prefer deep one on one conversations, think Charlie Rose, not some late night variety show host.

I am disappointed when I find myself to be the smartest person in the room or the most experienced. I have always sought out people I could look up to and admire, enriching my life and broadening my outlook. As I get older that is becoming a harder proposition to fulfill.

When we go to Chiang Mai we usually stay with Thai friends and do a little shopping and dinning together. I meet people easily but I do not need people and I do not gravitate toward groups. Not being in need of group or farang assistance here in Thailand, it is doubtful Nancy and I would cross paths.

I assume you wouldn't have to suffer too much disappointment in your life

That is one of the reasons for being selective. People can be very disappointing.

I keep an open mind myself and generally find the opposite

Good for you.

[Crazy chef 1]

Though ladies and gentlemen today is my off day after a tiresome but joyful week...how will I spend this day???

Spending time with my family?

Posting on diverse internet fora?

Go spear fishing?

Drink beer?

Or combine all the above mentioned???

So many choices....

[Crazy chef 1]

Rumour File

Villagefarang has invited Nancy to Chiangrai for a BBQ. He has assured her Mr Bitey is not on the menu

I am not a big BBQ fan. My preference is to sit down in a nice restaurant to enjoy good food and good conversation while letting someone else do the cooking. Preferably someplace far, far away from bad karaoke.

May I ask is there something such as good karaoke???

[SoiBiker]

Rumour File

Villagefarang has invited Nancy to Chiangrai for a BBQ. He has assured her Mr Bitey is not on the menu

I am not a big BBQ fan. My preference is to sit down in a nice restaurant to enjoy good food and good conversation while letting someone else do the cooking. Preferably someplace far, far away from bad karaoke.

May I ask is there something such as good karaoke???

Of course. It's something many of us in the non-curmudgeon community quite enjoy.

[Crazy chef 1]

Rumour File

Villagefarang has invited Nancy to Chiangrai for a BBQ. He has assured her Mr Bitey is not on the menu

I am not a big BBQ fan. My preference is to sit down in a nice restaurant to enjoy good food and good conversation while letting someone else do the cooking. Preferably someplace far, far away from bad karaoke.

May I ask is there something such as good karaoke???

Yep....

You're right it must be because there are literally dozens karaoke bars around where I am living now and I assume it must be especially enjoyed by the ladies because I see a lot of them sitting in front those places when driving home...

[Crazy chef 1]

Rumour File

Villagefarang has invited Nancy to Chiangrai for a BBQ. He has assured her Mr Bitey is not on the menu

I am not a big BBQ fan. My preference is to sit down in a nice restaurant to enjoy good food and good conversation while letting someone else do the cooking. Preferably someplace far, far away from bad karaoke.

May I ask is there something such as good karaoke???

Of course. It's something many of us in the non-curmudgeon community quite enjoy.

I can imagine Bikey and his non- curmudgeon friends singing their favourite song...

Edited December 27, 2015 by Crazy chef 1

[villagefarang]

I would rather listen to fingernails on a chalkboard.

[Crazy chef 1]

I would rather listen to fingernails on a chalkboard.

VF you're invited to spend one week in my current hotel in phuket if you come down in a karaoke bus...555

[Crazy chef 1]

[NancyL]

Looking at a map one might think Nancy and I are neighbors but Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai are worlds apart. So the two of us have never met and are not likely to as we live very different lives.

From all appearances she likes being the center of attention and involved with groups. She strikes me as more of a shepherd than a sheep but I am neither. I can work a room as well as anyone but I really prefer deep one on one conversations, think Charlie Rose, not some late night variety show host.

I am disappointed when I find myself to be the smartest person in the room or the most experienced. I have always sought out people I could look up to and admire, enriching my life and broadening my outlook. As I get older that is becoming a harder proposition to fulfill.

When we go to Chiang Mai we usually stay with Thai friends and do a little shopping and dinning together. I meet people easily but I do not need people and I do not gravitate toward groups. Not being in need of group or farang assistance here in Thailand, it is doubtful Nancy and I would cross paths.

I assume you wouldn't have to suffer too much disappointment in your life

Yes, I'd agree that to the best of my knowledge I've never meet VF, although I do know a lot of people in Chiang Mai. I haven't been to CR often, but it does sound like he comes down here. I guess he's satisfied with the people he knows here in CM, or rather it sounds like he's rather self-satisfied, and isn't trying to broadened his circle of acquaintance. How sad.

Yes, I do love to be involved with groups, but not so I can be the center of attention. Quite the contrary. There is power in community to make conditions better for everyone; the sum of the whole is more than the sum of the parts. I was astonished when I came to CM and saw so many expats leading isolated lives, yet surrounded by other expats. And newbies arriving and making the same mistakes that other newbies had made just a few months ahead of them. Through my involvement with Lanna Care Net, I saw where sometimes the consequences could be fatal. Meanwhile, there was a CM Expats Club that didn't do much and was run by corrupt leadership.

I'm not going to turn this into a 10,000 word article, but let's just say that yes, I organize activities here, but because of my efforts, the CM Expats Club is now a force for good, giving hundreds of thousands of baht to charity, serving as a resource for newbies, esp. new retirees, and attracts both speakers and members of global caliber.

I never have the problem that VF has of being "disappointed when I find myself to be the smartest person in the room or the most experienced." My gawd, how self-centered. Instead, when I'm in a room, my first thought is who don't I know? What can I learn from them? And even if I know everyone in the room, there is always more to learn from people you think you know well. I can appear to be the "center of attention", as in the person who organized an event, yet I'm not the one doing the most of the talking in one-on-one conversations during that event.

Sure, I'd like to meet VF, I like to meet people and I'm sure I can learn something from him.

[SoiBiker]

Look what a nice person I am! Look how hard I work! Bow down to my superior intellect! Here's another ancient music video!

Vote null vote.

[NancyL]

Mr. Bitey is back! He and Hubby won't talk about how they did it. Hubby left this morning to rescue Mr. Bitey. Hubby of course, like so many Chiang Mai expats is modest about his past, but he's ex-Delta Force, Navy SEAL, SAS, and SASR. And Mr. Bitey, in one of his former lives, served in the Middle East. So, it's just natural that those two could team up and overpower the VillageFruit, his drooling Golden Retriever and witless white cat

Now here's an example of not knowing everything about someone you thought you knew well. Hubby finally got caught up on this thread and said the reason he was able to rescue Mr. Bitey from VillageFarang's Baroque medieval castle in Chiang Rai wasn't so much because of the skills he learned during his time in Delta Force, Navy SEALS, SAS and SASR, but during his time in another elite secretive organization -- the BSA. He went to the chest where he keeps his war medals and showed me his awards from this organization. After over 39 years of marriage I'd never heard him speak his time in this all-male group.

He said his exception skills in the last area (dog care)are what allowed him to overpower VF's last line of defense -- the Golden Retriever -- and bring Mr. Bitey back home.

[Crazy chef 1]

Looking at a map one might think Nancy and I are neighbors but Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai are worlds apart. So the two of us have never met and are not likely to as we live very different lives.

God bless you for your work at your club...but I don't think VF is self centred.there are people ( like myself) who don't enjoy the company of many others( actually I am a loner,just my family)... In my experience if many people are together the conversation gets shallow though I prefer conversations in a small group...

But each to their own...

And I am pretty sure many people could learn a lot from VF experience...except the one who knows already all...

From all appearances she likes being the center of attention and involved with groups. She strikes me as more of a shepherd than a sheep but I am neither. I can work a room as well as anyone but I really prefer deep one on one conversations, think Charlie Rose, not some late night variety show host.

I am disappointed when I find myself to be the smartest person in the room or the most experienced. I have always sought out people I could look up to and admire, enriching my life and broadening my outlook. As I get older that is becoming a harder proposition to fulfill.

When we go to Chiang Mai we usually stay with Thai friends and do a little shopping and dinning together. I meet people easily but I do not need people and I do not gravitate toward groups. Not being in need of group or farang assistance here in Thailand, it is doubtful Nancy and I would cross paths.

I assume you wouldn't have to suffer too much disappointment in your life

Yes, I'd agree that to the best of my knowledge I've never meet VF, although I do know a lot of people in Chiang Mai. I haven't been to CR often, but it does sound like he comes down here. I guess he's satisfied with the people he knows here in CM, or rather it sounds like he's rather self-satisfied, and isn't trying to broadened his circle of acquaintance. How sad.

Yes, I do love to be involved with groups, but not so I can be the center of attention. Quite the contrary. There is power in community to make conditions better for everyone; the sum of the whole is more than the sum of the parts. I was astonished when I came to CM and saw so many expats leading isolated lives, yet surrounded by other expats. And newbies arriving and making the same mistakes that other newbies had made just a few months ahead of them. Through my involvement with Lanna Care Net, I saw where sometimes the consequences could be fatal. Meanwhile, there was a CM Expats Club that didn't do much and was run by corrupt leadership.

I'm not going to turn this into a 10,000 word article, but let's just say that yes, I organize activities here, but because of my efforts, the CM Expats Club is now a force for good, giving hundreds of thousands of baht to charity, serving as a resource for newbies, esp. new retirees, and attracts both speakers and members of global caliber.

I never have the problem that VF has of being "disappointed when I find myself to be the smartest person in the room or the most experienced." My gawd, how self-centered. Instead, when I'm in a room, my first thought is who don't I know? What can I learn from them? And even if I know everyone in the room, there is always more to learn from people you think you know well. I can appear to be the "center of attention", as in the person who organized an event, yet I'm not the one doing the most of the talking in one-on-one conversations during that event.

Sure, I'd like to meet VF, I like to meet people and I'm sure I can learn something from him.

God bless you for you work at your club...but I think VF is not self centred.there are people ( including me)who don't enjoy the company of many others because in my experience if many people are together the conversation gets shallow...though I prefer small gatherings...

And I am pretty sure many people could learn a lot from VF experience here...except the one who know already all...

Edited December 27, 2015 by Crazy chef 1

[Crazy chef 1]

Fink we need another song........ ...........[/https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gEPmA3USJdI

[NancyL]

Crazy Chef, you've undoubtedly catered enough big events to see that often the conversation can be shallow, but I've also seen important contacts made and new friendships struck that can turn into lifelong bonds.

One of the things we do with CEC is a twice-monthly Breakfast Club that is very popular with newly arrived CM retirees. Many show up early, as eager as a kid on the first day of school. If I don't recognize someone, I'll ask "how long have you been in Chiang Mai" and often they'll say less than a week and when I ask if they plan to stay, they say yes, they just started retirement. These folks are eager to meet new people, find a place to live, learn how they can set up a bank account, find out what other older expats do for health insurance, where to study Thai language, etc, etc. The little Welcome Committee that hangs around at the entrance to the restaurant takes the newbie into the restaurant and tries to seat them at a table with friendly folk, usually of the same nationality, to get the conversation started so the newbie can find answers to his/her questions from real expats and not someone out to sell something.

The restaurant where we have the breakfast is big and the event is a buffet, so people get up, move around and mingle from table-to-table. There's one area where people go if they want to have private conversations and not be bothered by newbies. That's OK, after all. Some people have all the friends they care to have and just want to enjoy breakfast with their mates and not have someone pestering them with questions about where they live or bank.

So, while this twice monthly event is large, the conversations are far from shallow. I'm always gratified when at the close of the event, I'm sitting at the table by the door, saying good-bye (and reminding people to take off their name tag so they don't look like a dork on the street) and I see people who arrived alone leaving with a few new friends to explore something in Chiang Mai together.