BostonRob2

I was banged up for two years. They called it the pandemic. Rooster

Thanks for the support and good luck with the stocks. I'm thinking that you don't buy short, prefer long? Rooster

I am sure the Thai government will follow suit when they realize how many people - including the free press - will be put out of work by this "Microsoft Madness" Rooster

I hope the boffins at AN consider this. And pay a sizable chunk of the subscription fee to journalists who will be out of work through no fault of their own. It is even more imperative that we seek alternative ways of earning a living: Rooster

"90% of the news team will be replaced". This is very worrying and wrong on so many levels. How will I feed my children? Rooster

My apologies in referring to King Charles as still a prince. It must be the heat or force of habit. Or maybe oldish age. Last week I'd also referred to corporal punishment in schools as "capital punishment".......oh well, off with his head! Cheers and have a good weekend. Rooster

What was the question again? Rooster

Thanks for the positivity, much appreciated. Regards, Rooster

I haven't stopped writing. I contribute dozens of news stories every week but the column is discontinued for the forseeable future. I don't think I'm sexy and who likes the sound of their voice? I have never done blogging or videos before and I am determined to improve the product and content. Try and give it, and me, a chance ok? Rooster

Well firstly thank you for taking the time to comment so positively about school trips and the video. Of course this video represents is just a few brief observations and the issues run very very deep. I wrote a vast expeditions policy that was copied by other schools, for example. I can address a few points you raised. Yes, as coordinator I would go with the expedition/trip leader months before to check abosultely everything. Measures were taken to address any areas of concern. Operators/hotels who didn't follow up requests were quickly cut loose. Detailed risk assessments were written. Standard practices of good schools. The locking of balcony doors is a tricky issue when it comes to fires. I was far happier going to places that had safe balconies and leaving the doors open or just using ground floor accommodation. I once went to a hotel and saw the balconies and just left telling them they should rebuild their hotel if they wanted my custom! Treetop adventures are generally quite safe activities. The key point is that children (even adults) must be attached at all times of course using correct equipment that is not out of date (and logged to prove that). (After I left my first school where I was not responsible for trips a foreign operator who had forgot to tie himself in during a zipline at a resort fell and broke his own leg during a show). I developed a keen eye in examining that staff training was up to standard. I mean a lot of operators talk a good game but under scrutiny they fail. Again I would work with operators and intermediary companies to ensure standards were being met or hopefully exceeded. Water parks can be very difficult to manage and need a large staff presence. All activities that involve water are hazardous period. I nearly lost my beloved daughter in my pool at my condo you may recall which brought back all the memories of how I tried to protect other people's kids. At my school we always had high ranking police and politicians who could arrange police escorts. I politely refused because I didn't like the driving on the right and felt that having to rely on the constabulary being on time was a deterimental thing. In addition I was more than happy with the bus company that we employed and their staff and drivers. But I remember once when they messed up and I called them into my office. They presented me with a huge basket of fruit and goodies that I put to one side before I i shut my office door for privacy (my staff outside always knew something was up when i did this) and then despite their wais ripped into them telling them that their contract would be ended if they didn't address the issues. I was backed up by my headmaster. They followed through and continued to serve us and our clientele. Yes, it was the engagement with Thais and Thai companies in improving standards, that was my key point but there is so much more to this issue. I often tell the story that in 15 years of 200 plus trips the only accident was my own son who broke his toe when on a primary trip in Khao Yai!! Daft 'apeth. regards Rooster

Cheers; as I get the hang of this I hope to make it something really worth watching that is both informative and entertaining. Regards, Rooster

I get your point about truckers having to make a living. But if they went60-80 in the inside of three lanes and overtook in the middle us car drivers could actually drive at a decent speed. Re Drumph, I think it's best that I avoid that subject. Though I will have a glass of Banana Wine if he is arrested today even if that'll probably mean he'll be the next POTUS! Rooster

It's the indecision when faced with under or overtaking. It adds to the mess. Ultimately I know what to do all right. I'm still alive after a million kms+. And get a driver? It freaks me out to have anyone else drive, at least I can trust myself. Rooster

Yes, I read the feedback but the point is the video. I actually wrote yesterday's script but it was off-putting to read it and so today I went with notes and more ad lib. I won't be supplying a written version. Might I suggest, though it's not the quite same to watch the vid with closed captions that are quite accurate except for Thai terms. You could even turn off my voice! In conclusion please view/subscribe. While it was never my intention to join vloggers in Thailand - I hate most of them - shall endeavor to improve the quality and hopefully give people the odd laff and some food for thought with my customary professionalism. Who knows you may even get to like it in the end, maybe even I will!! Rooster

Great. I'm from Bangkok, I think the air is clear everywhere else! Thanks for reading. Rooster

England without aircon or a fan, much worse. Rooster

Call it an education. Rooster ????

They are usually really cheap, maybe 100-200 baht per session and available on the day. Final will be more expensive and worth booking earlier in the week. Rooster

Actually I used to teach Thai Scrabble at school (the game was invented by one of my best Thai friends who died in 2017). I played hundreds of games against Thai children at school never losing a single game. However, I'll grant you that if I played the Thai experts I would have no chance as they know all the very tricky short words that I have never heard of. Even so I probably am the best non-Thai player of Thai scrabble in the world! I wish I could say the same for English Scrabble, many Thais are far better than me. Rooster

Nuti played it. I rather liked my reply....WEIRD. Rooster

The open division is against Thai and other expatriate adults many of whom are world ranked players. My main challenger was Puttapong Moonsarn who I played with in the World Championships in England in 2018 but who failed to make the final in Korat. Rooster

Top Tip: Avoid all flight problems by never getting on a plane again. Nearly five years for me. Rooster

Many thanks for the positive vibes. Also thanks to my ASEAN NOW employers for the lack of pressure to come back too soon. Hopefully I can now go on another long run! Cheers. Rooster

Common. Very common. Rooster

I think "mark" is better as mak sounds more like mack to me, which is why I used mark. Hia in this story is hia with a common tone, a word for a wealthy businessman usually that people use as a pronoun. The hia you are thinking about has a falling tone. Tones matter.... Rooster (former Thai teacher)