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JaiRai

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Everything posted by JaiRai

  1. This is fucking depressing stuff. It's hard enough at times to have hope for humanity without knowing they are capable of this. For people that do these things to children - is pretty much the only case where I would have no qualms with torture, along with a non-anesthetic castration.
  2. oh how i love this one (not kidding) and its message of hope 555. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-IJFoO1Pns
  3. JaiRai

    Prices 2018

    Tilac ladies still generally ask 3k for LT. Had a couple Vietnamese-American mates in town a couple weeks ago and they have no interest in LT whatsoever. Every night it's the same - Baccara and Shark Gogo Bars on cowboy. Went to chill with them one evening at Baccara and had a gorgeous cutie eyeballing me, bought her a drink and she got down to buiness with a quickness. "You want to go with me?" I didn't - but was curious - how much for ST, LT? "I don't do Long Time" she replied. "OK, how much for Short Time," she had a sly smile and said "usually the man gives me 5 thousand baht." Holy shit, I raised my eyebrows and she came back with "but 4 thousand ok." haha. I went back to chatting with my friends and saw her exit with a gentlemen shortly after. Not too long passed and she was back at the bar dancing. And then she left again with an older dude. Then shortly later she was back again. And I thought - wow. WTF. I actually despise the place but the business there - my god. Anyway - Everything certainly is more mercenary and Nana Plaza seems to be having an obesity epidemic. And yet... Bangkok still has that allure. So be it. Ps. Love the Sak Yant tattoos on the back. But full bore chest or stomach tattoos... why dear Buddha why???? Ugh.
  4. quick sideline - sorry - excellent testimony and reflective of disturbing trends: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRIKJCKWla4&t=186s
  5. JaiRai

    Line?

    everyone i know in thailand, including their parents, grandparents, and distant relatives in laos - use Line. people don't even ask for my number anymore - they just show me their line QR code (or whatever it's called) and ask me to add them on the spot. the main and obvious advantage for many folks is that you can call/text anyone without any minutes on your phone -- as long as you have a wifi connection, and line txts/calls don't eat away at your existing minutes.
  6. good start. every now and then you see a glimpse of hope for humanity. not a very big one mind you - but it is there.
  7. Too much of a circle jerk here at times. Not all the time mind you. I'd like to see a lot more blokes with different views not licking each others nuts - without the asshole quotient going off the charts, probably impossible on the internet though. Thailand is in a repressive social slump compared to years ago but still a very fucking beautiful place where one can actively engage with life on a level that simply doesn't exist in the sterile West. I truly believe that's why such a broad spectrum of people embrace it.
  8. actually the 3rd time it happened to me. yes. hence the dumbass comment to myself. but those 3 times were spread out over several years. last time i left it in a taxi and a girl from climax immediately called my number and the dude actually answered. he wouldn't accept 1k, 2k, 3k, baht - and then hung up. this time - actually got my phone back from a very kind taxi driver. loooooooooong story. it does happen - but don't get your hopes up. stupid rookie mistake and i got off lucky, most of the time --- you won't.
  9. yep. he's a good man and i'm genuinely sad to see it. thanks passingthru.
  10. My old vietnamese mate 'Dan' put it best when we checked in there (separate rooms) a few years back. 20 minutes after getting in my room and unpacking I got a 3 word SMS from Dan. "Welcome to Thunderdome" That was my last stay in Nana hotel and numbers had nothing to do with it.
  11. Link ---- The content in this page is not produced by Prachatai staff. Prachatai merely provides a platform, and the opinions stated here do not necessarily reflect those of Prachatai. Home Thai court orders immediate issuance of arrest warrant for Andy Hall Submitted by editor4 on Tue, 24/04/2018 - 15:09 Finnwatch Bangkok South Criminal Court today ordered for the immediate issuance of an arrest warrant for Andy Hall with a view to ensuring Hall’s attendance in the court to hear a verdict of the Appeals Court on multiple appeals against his September 2016 criminal conviction. Diplomats from the EU Mission to Thailand alongside the UK, Finnish and Swedish embassy officials and officials from OHCHR and ICJ attended today’s hearing alongside Hall’s legal defence team, a source at the Court informed Finnwatch. The court was originally expected to read the appeals verdict today but the hearing on the appeal was instead adjourned until 31st May 2018 given Hall did not attend the court in person. Andy Hall is currently no longer resident in Thailand and attests that he was not formally summoned to attend the Court today through any official or lawful channels. In response to the today's news, Hall provided the following statement to Finnwatch: “I have faced intolerable amounts of judicial harassment which essentially undermined my ability to do human rights work effectively inside Thailand. This is why I left the country in November 2016. I am disappointed and concerned this warrant has now been issued for my arrest and this unacceptable judicial harassment against me continues unabated.†“I am currently receiving assistance from a team of international lawyers acting on my behalf on the issue of enforcement of Thai Court orders in criminal and civil cases against me when I am no longer resident in Thailand. I shall continue to consult closely with both my Thai and international legal defence teams on these issues and concerning the potential issuance of international arrest warrants against me. I shall also make representations to the UK government and the European Union to immediately raise concerns on whether today’s arrest warrant issued by the Court was in accordance with Thai and international law.†On 20th September 2016, Andy Hall was sentenced to four years' imprisonment (reduced by one year and suspended by two years) and ordered to pay a fine of 200,000 baht (reduced to 150,000 baht) following his conviction on criminal defamation and Computer Crimes Act charges. The proceedings against Hall were initiated by a Thai pineapple company Natural Fruit Co. Ltd. in 2013. Andy Hall left Thailand shortly after his conviction claiming unbearable judicial harassment when additional criminal charges were filed against him by a chicken farm, Thammakaset Company Ltd, in November 2016. His legal team, however, submitted an appeal against this conviction on 8th February 2017. Natural Fruit also appealed the verdict in December 2016 seeking an immediate custodial sentence against Hall. An Appeals Court’s decision can be further appealed to Thailand’s Supreme Court. In 2012, Andy Hall interviewed Natural Fruit Co. Ltd. workers for the Finnwatch report Cheap Has a High Price, published in 2013. These interviewees’ testimonies detailed allegations of labour abuse which, when published by Finnwatch, provided the reason for Natural Fruit’s prosecution in this case. Should Andy Hall fail to appear at Bangkok South Criminal Court again on 31st May 2018, the Appeals Court verdict may be read in absentia. â€We remain hopeful the Appeals Court will acquit Andy of all these charges. The charges against him stem from his legitimate work as a human rights defender and migrant worker rights activist. He is not a criminal,†said Sonja Vartiala, executive director of Finnwatch. For more information on this and the other three criminal and civil cases filed by Natural Fruit Co. Ltd. against Andy Hall, please see Finnwatch Q&A document, last updated on 23rd April 2018.
  12. Police showed up to both nana and cowboy again last night just before 1am. everything was shut down and folks told to go home. not sure if connected. ps. important OT note to self in a moment of supreme annoyance: if you take a taxi, don't leave your phone in it. dumbass.
  13. went to meet friends yesterday to shoot pool at country road. arrived via motorcycle taxi just before midnight - a long line of police and squad cars were at the entrance to cowboy. motosai taxi guy proposes he should take me anywhere else. didn't look like they were rounding people up and curiosity got the better of me. was informed by all the girls at country road that a guy had abruptly died at dollhouse while a woman was dancing in front of him. dollhouse was completely shut down - a lot of drama in the street.
  14. While manipulation by foreign entities with malicious motives (or even without) is a concern -- the internal forces exploiting social media as an 'echo chamber' tool to create social mobs disturbs me even more. On both sides. Further - the platforms themselves are becoming political actors as much as tech tools (tweaks to the algorithims to exclude or promote desired results, demonetization on youtube for not eschewing the correct political stance, shadow bans on twitter for popular conservative critics, etc.). This genuinely bothers me. We'll see how it all shakes out over time, but I have not witnessed social media bringing in a renaissance of critical thinking and the flow of ideas - rather they have begun to lean towards the opposite.
  15. Didn't realize you both had strokes (I definitely remembered a stroke here on the forum, but didn't realize two had this happen in the not so recent past). Best wishes. I shied away posting tales of my drunken stupidity in the kingdom - however - I may grant a slight reprieve to that. I certainly have a few. And I certainly have a few more coming up soon. (Dear lord please forgive them for they know not what they do). May provide a little vicarious amusement for ya while not in the illustrious land of smiles. Maybe. I've always been an after hours dude preferring to leave the abode around midnight or later, but from what I understand the social order crackdown is suffocating that -- not sure how I'll adapt. Keep posting and -- peace out yo.
  16. I might just have to start liking Trump now. Just a smidgen. Seeing how much he pisses off the European post-modernist left does produce a chuckle. Every cloud has a silver lining.
  17. Hey one thing I will never get is the Thai slapstick humor - and the slide whistle sound effects they employ 555. I'm like wtf. btw - There's a film called 9 Wats I saw a few years ago - thriller - fucking excellent. Last time I was in Bangkok was at a pub on soi 33 with a companion, and some nice gent with a companion sat with us at our table. Started telling everyone that he'd been in Thailand 10 years and was an English teacher and was now 90% Thai (though I could see the confusion on the service folks faces at his language attempts). The girl I was with asked what I did the night before and I told her (truthfully) -- 'gin lao yuh - buat hua' (I don't know if that is correct btw - but she understood). The teacher at our table became very oddly animated and proceeded to tell me that I cannot say 'gin lao' I have to say 'duem' -- and I was thinking - are you fucking kidding me? You really have been in country 10 years and you don't know how often they use Gin Lao. Or Gin Naam. Or whatever. The girl I was with giggled making him a bit infuriated and we left shortly after. Anyway, since then I've noticed a growing trend of these guys who think they're living out the movie Avatar and they have fully assimilated into the Thai culture as saviors and it's just embarrassing. I found the article above confusing at first but the author makes up for it in the conclusion. So well written and insightful. God damn.
  18. LInk -- Khaosod ----------- "When in Rome … †begins the truism about how to behave in foreign lands. We’ve all heard and understood this. It makes sense. When visiting another place, one will fit in and be loved by embracing the customs of those living there. But what may start as an endearing and commendable effort – learning some language, meeting some social expectations – can become annoying to the very natives whose approval is sought. Behind one’s back, the whispers begin: You’ve gone native. For Thais, navigating society’s ground rules is difficult enough. But those rules are learned from birth, enabling people to find their peg in the social hierarchy. As junior members slowly work their way up through age and position, the rituals become easier. To wai or receive a wai, to stoop when passing, to never stand over someone your senior – all of these teachings are ingrained. Keen observers can instantly read who’s who from body language, without needing introductions to know everyone’s place in the pecking order. Enter the foreigner, who upon arrival in the kingdom hears or reads about the many cultural dos and dont’s and substitutes hard cultural learning with a travel blog post titled “Top 10 Thailand Dos and Don’ts.†Soon positive feedback is won for a few superficial gestures as novelty and intrigue leads to a false sense of being accepted. Most Thais react warmly to efforts to learn the language and customs. It’s a great show-off to friends and family to derive much “face†from. From foreign ambassadors to engineers and teachers, newcomers who demonstrate they’ve learned some subtleties of custom are applauded. Take “James,†a towering American hunk of upper middle-class upbringing with an Ivy League education. For all his good intentions, he looks awkward when he hunches over to wai someone clearly his junior. Or clumsy when he only offers one wai while everyone is trading them in multiple upon saying goodbye, because he thinks one should be enough. After years in Thailand, indications of his Christian upbringing are replaced by meditation, traditional medicine and sunrise alms-giving at his local temple. His determined stride is replaced by a shuffled gait and opinionated philosophy become internal monologue no longer expressed to others. Then there’s those who feast on the attention and just keep going. Like those with Viking spirit from the northern hemisphere who gain fame and fortune as acclaimed country singers. Or the loved-and-hated American YouTubers or droll Australian writers, all admirable for their Herculean efforts to be as Thai as possible. Here’s where I’d urge restraint to: Lavish them with too much praise and risk seeing them “go native.†When people “go native,†they risk partially entering an unfamiliar group only to find their own kind also don’t like it. Shedding one’s identity so effortlessly suggests little value placed on one’s tribe in the first place. People wonder why and question where the line is drawn. To please the natives, that’s understood, but if it’s to shed despised traits for complete reinvention of self? What was endearing to the natives may eventually become annoying, even demeaning. As Thais, we are small in stature, admire Western success, send our children overseas for education if we can, and try to hold on to our traditions while moving toward modern Western success. To suddenly see those we admire abandon their personas and take ours to the n’th degree confounds the mind. Have they moved so far forward only to step back? Surely if our culture and traditions are so coveted by Western ideals, why are we so slow to succeed? So go ahead and show some thoughtful deference to your adopted country, but stay committed to your legacy, keep your identity and find your dignity intact and much-admired for doing so."
  19. First branch I went to for Bangkok Bank told me I needed a work permit to open account (5 years ago). Second branch I tried (@ Fortune IT mall on Ratchada - soi 3) opened the account because I had a local address. I was just trying out of curiosity but found the benefit of having a local account enormous while staying in BKK (used to pay all bills, rent, school, dentist, etc. -- all via online transfers). Wasn't asked for an embassy letter but that may be a new phenomenon along with more regulations for US citizens -- I don't know. I didn't keep a significant balance there but maybe 60k baht - (drawn on ATM from Schwab ha!) - but once I had the account it certainly made managing payment of bills easier. Bankgkok Bank has a branch in NYC which can be an intermediary between a US bank account and your Bangkok bank account in Thailand. Supposedly you do an ACH transfer to the Bankok Bank branch in NYC to deposit funds to your Bankok Bank account in Thailand. I've never used this - but I will be in a few months. We'll see how it goes. For US folks I always recommend a Schwab account if doing a short term stay in Thailand, having a Thai bank account would be right up there in second place.
  20. Yeah, I "try" to get along with folks but find myself antagonistic in many places (especially with my job as I have to work in several hospitals). It's not that I'm right or left, but one just gets annoyed and starts to be critical -- and sorry luv, that's it, now you got a problem. Anyway - yeah. Tech today is awesome, but 'critical thinking' today... not so much. Whatever position one spouts, freedom of speech ALWAYS has to rank near the top. Period. That's it. Efforts to cut that out - fucking evil. Enough said.
  21. Nooooooooooooooo.... oh the humanity. btw - despite a decline in looks and the avg dancer being about 5 kilos heavier, along with a more determined drink hustle for 'tequila' -- still like Tilac. Not sure why, but I do. Maybe it's the nostalgia factor.
  22. I spent my whole life on the left, and now in my 40s starting to ask myself - was the idealism a fools errand. The only reward at the end of the rainbow - pyrite and a smug reminder of my male privilege. Of course growing up in a trailer park in Kentucky with a father working on and off at shit jobs and a bitter teen mother, it's hard to see that privilege. But the war on science and the blurring of biology in subordination of politics is depressing. Can I roll conservative? I don't know. But things can't keep on....
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