Vintage_Kwai

M, please note the qualifying word, 'fossilized'. (And yes, in my dictionary, that is the way it should be spelt).

They get a lot of practice carving those intricate wax dragons and stuff. Also a lot of wooden scrollwork, though the skilled artisans are not as many these days.

Another lost art revived elsewhere were those cinema billboard painters. I remember the most colourful and vivid billboards outside the Thai cinemas. They are now painting buses..

How true, Flash. I cringe whenever I notice someone going overboard. Doesn't take long, someone learns fifty Thai words, has been here six months and he's waiing the bl**dy security guards at the cheap rented apartment he's staying at..

Been here almost thirty years, how time flies, but Flash has been here since the Paleolithic ages..

Recently been inducted into the 'Old Fogey's coffee club - Thailand chapter' at the market near my place - I partly blame my 76 year old next door neighbour. I'm the 'farang who's been here too long' so lots of banter and I get the latest on what people on the ground are talking about. And the coffee is only ten baht..

I remember a Grand Prix bar in Patpong, run by a friend and his partner. Early 80's. The bloke used to work as an oil rig diver, and we used to drink over at the Captain's Cabin in Singapore. He had a cute Malay chick over there.

Smiles. Think that is the one and only time I ran into you at the Aussie pub on Soi Cowboy, having your first whisky after your dental treatment..

New , fairly basic 3G phones not tied to any service provider can be had for about the same price as a higher-end used phone. note, however, that when buying a used phone there could be issues.

Not many people change their phones often if it works well, unless making a fashion statement. These phones are at best around 12 months old. So chances of getting a good one in this range is small.

The next step down are those who are short on funds and see this as an alternative to the pawnshop.

And finally, phones with issues. Dropped. Drowned. Any phone over 12 months old will need a replacement battery soon (providing you can remove it!)

And perhaps the one thing you don't want to know about, are tracker programs embedded in the phone that can wipe the whole thing in an instant. Some can be almost impossible to detect and therefore remove. Resetting does not necessarily remove them, especially rooted or jailbroken ones.

So just go get a cheap, new, 3G phone. It's only an emergency backup, right?

Yes, they have very cheap phones at the 7-11. Wanted to get the 199 baht 3G one to leave in the car as the emergency, can still use chat applications if need be.

The catch?? It's the packaged SIM card fees, tied to one phone company.

So the old Samsung Hero 2G stays in the car. It still works, about two weeks standby, just that you get reminder SMSs telling you to change your phone to take advantage of the 3G SIM card installed. Think not.

Thanks for making me smile this morning.. Just what I needed B.C. (before coffee)

Dear, oh dear.

Silly thing to do in Singapore, where although prostitution is legal, it is expected to be behind closed doors. Surprising the husband took two hours to get there, given the efficiency of the transport system. There has also been a large influx of imports from PRC as part of a failed social experiment by the powers-that-be in trying to maintain a 'racial balance'. These PRCs cannot find work other than waitressing or factory work and don't speak any of the four official languages. They are normally married to the lower strata of the citizenry (though I have seen some moneyed ones who have club memberships at the Recreation Club) and may resort to rather unconventional means to make a buck or three.

Feel a bit sorry for the bloke, but an immediate apology *could* have saved the day, instead of making a joke out of it. In Asia, 'face' is everything.

Same same LOS, wrong actions like baring your butt in the wrong place can get you in serious hot water..

Methinks this is the precursor to the proposed water tax in the pipeline (no pun intended)

What a load of rubbish. Going back almost thirty years, Green Spot (and associated soft drinks manufacturers) had their processing plants around Ramkhampaeng and Rangsit where they were pumping this out of the ground to supply soft drinks to the whole of the country. Yes, it did cause subsistence then and the practice was stopped and they were forced to move out. A law was put in place where it was illegal to pump ground water out, at least in Bangkok, and I believe, was quite strictly enforced.

If the article has any truth to it, the offending parties would also need water processing and purification of ground (read hard) water. Soap and hard water do not mix.

huahinafterdark.com

Congrats.Welcome to the love-hate relationship some of us longer-staying people come to expect of this place.

Hua Hin is a nice place, I visit once in a while and have been a member of a Hua Hin website/ chat group since 2004 that is similar to this one and is populated with sensible people.Won't post it just in case the mods throw a hissy fit, but pm me and I'll pass it along.

Cheers

VK

Good luck, Stick. It's been a good run and we appreciate the site and it's affect on all of us. From a reader and sometime contributor, Thank You.

I am assuming you will still keep the email address?

Re: Flash.. Good, but they should have done something that would make him suffer - like taking away his car keys for a busy school week..

Cav.. slightly off topic, but many locals in my former place of employment had difficulty with a single task! To get around the 'it's not my fault' or 'sweep it under the carpet - he won't find out' attitude I imposed one rule. If something it not right and you tell me, it becomes my responsibility. However, if I find out you've been hiding things, I'll nail you to the wall. All this explained in their own language so there would be no mistake or misunderstanding.

It worked a treat..

Flash, the video you posted made my blood boil. No seat belt, light flashing all the way, didn't signal.. It's another precursor to the minivan on the flyover incident..

I hope someone notes the background and tracks down the errant parent who is the real culprit here.

Also a few videos on YouTube re farangs sleeping on the beach at Sodom-by-the-Sea, helped on the quiet by local charities who say they cannot officially help them..

Many are overstayers and can't or won't leave - they're better off here in some cases than in their own home country..

Another thread started by Flash back in April, same topic..

http://t2.thai360.com/index.php?/topic/64081-gap-yah-backpackers-begging-for-money-should-be-ashamed-of-themselves/

The Guy went to a Restaurant not a Pharmacy!

Was meant to be tongue-in-cheek. Dimsum is obviously Chinese food.. Perhaps they were expanding their business plan to include pharma?

But, yeah, if I found a cockroach in my food gratis I'd be upset too..

Cockroaches have been integral to Chinese traditional medicine for a very long time...

Kind of like the cookie-cutter look of the stewardesses of a well-known local airline.

Thought someone in 'Merikah' was already in the news for something like this, except it was on a much grander (and more expensive) scale that included plastic enhancements? Perhaps 'Madame' is one of her dropouts?

I remember Pasir Ris beach from my teenage years, back when there were no flats anywhere in sight. One local bus on the main road would pass every hour or so, and of course no aircon. It was at least a half hour walk to the beach on a rather rutted road, and in later years a small housing development sprang up fairly near the beach.

There was only a rudimentary shelter on the beach - think rusty bus stop and you wouldn't be far off.

I used to like to include that in my cycling routes back then, and was a great spot for overnight sea fishing with friends, a tent and a couple of beers. Yes, back then camping on the beach was not illegal..

Good times..

Think they're using EMP cannons to fry car electronics in car chases (or are on the verge of doing) so it doesn't take much of a jump of the imagination to ramp that up a bit.. Think they're fairly easy to DIY..

High power RF from dedicated ham operators are also known to fry electronics.. Like boom box car stereos..

* EMP = electromagnetic pulse

I always thought it folly to remove the cable controls - at least on commercial aircraft - that was always the last resort. They still had cables when hydraulics were used. Don't trust 'fly-by-wire'. It may be okay for fighters where you need the maneuverability, but the fighter pilot is on his own and as a last resort pulls the ejection handle..

Maybe they should start putting parachutes under the seats to complement the flotation devices...

I can understand the industry's drive to remove as much weight as possible but this takes the cake.

BTW my car also has 'drive-by-wire' - no accelerator cables, electronic throttle, engine management, etc. But the brakes and steering are still mechanical/ hydraulic assisted and I can park by the side of the road if I do break down..

Right. Rant over.

My two baht worth..