ManInSurat
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Posts posted by ManInSurat
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LAST EDIT:
So, now, with the pain of my family, taken onto my own back and purged. Out to sea. Into the house. Into the ether.....
I sit back and feel this warm warm glow, that warm glow you'll only ever get when you seek nirvana and love some people so unequivocally, so unconditionally, that this becomes second nature.
You're all capable of it.
You just lack the mental tools to do it.
I saw the story of the gang attack in Phuket.
You're all feeling spite and anger, all hatred and negativity. All jealously and rage. All twisted compassion. All unnecessary national pride. All silly silly childish ways.
Let it go.
Just let it go now......
Go to bed.
See the sun rise.....
Watch the stars.
When you look up, I'll be looking too..... I'll be smiling at you for spreading the message.
You owe me this for giving you my last cent, my last dime on the most stressful day of my life.
I love TV.
You are the force for good in Thailand.
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And don't you dare think about moving or taking the piss out of this comment. (Although I understand why you do it.)
Please help me spread the message.
I implore you.
I need your help to help these guys.
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PS. Many thanks to SeaVision for making the yearly memorial service for my laan liang that much less painful.
You will always be my TV hero.
The rest of you, learn to be more like SeaVision.
You'll get so much more out of life.
Good night guys.
One happy happy man.
Live and let live guys.
We're all human beings in this together.
Never forget that.
SeaVison is the BEST TV member you'll ever have.
Consider your selves very lucky.
SVB, whenever you need anything in Thailand, you come and talk to me.
I got your back buddy.
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If you're having problems dealing with the concept of jai yen.......
Please indulge me and watch this video.
(The dark part in the latter stages of the video is me going into a kid's wonderland bedroom with bunk beds a PS2, their parents ashes in a hing on the wall. A pink Hello Kitty cupboard I bought from Lotus that's Ikea style and I spent 3 hours putting together with a boy who's not even blood related to me. Those 2 children are both in school and I've never heard my wife sleep this soundly.)
You have no idea how good that feels.
EDIT : ADDED YOUTUBE LINK. (And I'm spent. I'll see what you think in the morning. Please be nice. I tried so hard.)
Thailand will love you back if you love it.
You deserve much better in your lives and you already have it all around you.
Just look and see.
I hope you all get better.
I'll be waiting for you when you make it.
Love
ManInSurat.
aka
Dan
(Please respect my rights to anonymity. I have a family to look after. Read my post history. My sudden bursts of anger make sense now. Please see this.)
MiS.
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When you signed up for Thaivisa you agreed to the following:
"When you post in any forum on ThaiVisa, you are granting a license to Thaivisa.com to display that post publicly"
It's extremely unclear. I understand now Tywais.
I've adjusted my account to a satisfactory level of privacy and can assure you I won't be coming back to the circus.
I accept the legal situation.
You all telling me I'm in the wrong with some exceptions is quite amazing.
I'm glad this is now out there for everyone else to see.
I have more important things I should be doing with my life.
I tried to be polite and reasonable about it from the outset "Please.... thank you", etc. It's all written down above.
You just make much more apparent now.
Cheers.
Peace out.
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I think the only 2 options are :
1- Stop using it
2- Become very rude and get banned
No, I want my rights upheld and everything removed. I understand multi-threaded posts that I have joined
Surely I can do that? Or can't I control what I've written on this forum? That's quite ironic in Thailand, I think.
Can someone whose got a modicum of authority here please explain the process to me?
Thanks.
Thanks for trying a wind-up when I'm obviously not in a good mood.
I think if TV would do that (removing your posts) could mean that all the threads you have participated in are not making sense anymore.
Plus is it even possible ? I don't think so.
I've said twice now I don't mind the posts.
Do people read?
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wow, it has been a while since we had a very good flounce.
this one is up there.
thanks for the chuckle
Keep taking the p*ss and nothing bothering to help me, if that's what pleases you.
You just reinforce what I said in the OP.
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If I'd have know that this has been a recent modification and it had been clearly explained to me, which it hasn't, I wouldn't have agreed to the T&Cs.
If you're going to tell me you have control over what I've originally written, I'm not going to be particularly pleased about that.
I already said I don't mean posts, I mean my profile.
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TV can be a useful tool. Why cancel your account?, just dont get into arguments or read and answer topics that you dont need to.
I explained why above?
Can we leave the hurt feelings out of this please?
I want to get rid of it.
It's my choice to get rid of it, please stop telling what I can and can't do with my life.
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As said, accounts are not deleted.
Simply do not log in anymore.
This does not suffice.
Stop telling me not to log in.
I want it removed.
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Moving to Forum Support, but it's not ThaiVisa policy to delete accounts, if you no longer wish to remain a member simply turn off all your subscriptions and never log in again.
I do not want you to retain my data.
How do you have proprietary rights over that and why can't I control it? For what reason?
Explain please.
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I think the only 2 options are :
1- Stop using it
2- Become very rude and get banned
No, I want my rights upheld and everything removed. I understand multi-threaded posts that I have joined
Surely I can do that? Or can't I control what I've written on this forum? That's quite ironic in Thailand, I think.
Can someone whose got a modicum of authority here please explain the process to me?
Thanks.
Thanks for trying a wind-up when I'm obviously not in a good mood.
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My apologies if this is in the wrong forum.
How do I permanently shut down my account and remove all posts and data you've stored?
I would like this to happen with immediate effect.
The laughing at innocents dying, agression, threats, the inability to be civil with one another and have reasoned debate have made up my mind today.
It's starting to rub off on me and I don't want to become that type of person. I used to be that person and I was trying to get better.
It seems I just can't have healthy relationship with TV.
Such is life.
That'll be another thing off "things you leave for a lazy Sunday afternoon."
Many thanks, in advance.
Was a pleasure to meet all the people who I did manage to have stimulating and entertaining conversation with.
To those who want to continue to try to denigrate TV and literally nose-dive it into the ground - I won't miss you at all.
I hope I never have to the cross the path of humans like you as long as I live.
Such a vindictive and sad aspect of the internet.
Anyway, please let me know.
MiS.
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Those deep cuts are going to sting in the morning...no wait??? Ahhhh...whoops.
Yeah it's hilarious that someone died in Yala. I just can't stop laughing about it.
Not to mention the fact they were so desperate they went to work in area known for tiger attacks and Muslim insurgent beheadings.
It's posts like this and the others that follow it, on the first page of this thread that really and genuinely will deter people from even wanting to be slightly involved with this forum.
I'm getting pretty sick of this kee.
Thanks for making TV a place that laughs at the death of another human being, in what must have been utterly horrific and terrifying circumstances for the victim.
You inconsiderate........
I think I'll cancel my account now. That's enough.
The TV population seems to be dwindling rapidly and its abundantly clear why.
Pat yourselves all on the back for making another TV member feel such revulsion to your "fun and games" that they have to leave.
You sick.....
I'm out.
Forever.
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Dont worry maninsurat I shut the business in April and am going home completely had enough of it ,actually wanted to shut it 2 months ago but the misses has financial commitments to run it through high season.
Yeah the motorised paragliders are great woke me and several customers up at 7 am this morning flying all over the top of the resort and there was me thinking this was national park and all that stuff supposedly banned ,give me back the sound of the longtails any day of the week.
P.s yes I'm pretty sure I realised who you were a long time ago I think you been to my place and met me not 100% sure though ,if you are from uk and have afriend called Terry. Then I'm 100% sure.....
No, you don't know who I am. I don't have a friend called Terry.
I haven't been to your place, I just think I know where it is from the photos you posted the other day, saying the fishermen were messing your place up.
Do whatever makes you happy and have a long healthy life.
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I went and played Ta-klor with the Muslim taxi drivers there the other day. There's currently a tent up (or there was on Loy Krathong) there and a Ta-klor net.
There was even a lady playing, which I'd literally never seen before.
I drove.
No one mentioned anything about paying for a parking space. I parked infront of Krua Thara.
I then went and watched the motorized parachuters, it was bliss.
I am not being an apologist. I think it's likely that few of you actually get to know these people as a permanent resident (and act like the uniformed proverbial "Bull in the China Shop".) That's the main reason you suffer.
I've seen scarier "thugs" in a kindergarten.
They make about $200 pcm, don't begrudge them an extra bit of pocket money, if they're clever enough to milk you. That's your problem. They're not going to kill you over 20 baht.
If you want it to be policed and have Western rule here, take it up with the local government.
To rage against them is the ultimate exercise in futility.
@taninthai
Your constant anti-Thai agenda is wearisome.
Very wearisome.
I can't even slightly fathom why you run a business here whilst implicitly hating Thais and Thailand.
Just a quick peruse of your posting history on TV, which anyone can easily do, shows just how much you hate it.
It seems to me you'd just like to have the sun, sand, sea, palm trees and food all for yourself and your clientele, but not, the people, religions, culture, gov't, police, Thai business owners and lifestyle.
LIFE DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY AND IT NEVER WILL.
Carry on being a stress-head all of your life, but it'll do your heart and blood pressure no good at all.
From your photos, I think I've worked out which business it is you run.
^Lol. That's all I have to say about that.
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I'm sorry, I forgot to list my benefits.
95% of my friends are Thai, and I continue to make new ones. I never have a boring night unless it was my choice. Hell, I think the downside is that I have gotten fatter, poorer(no, I am not treating everyone) and sleep deprived from going out so much.
Day to day life is much easier.
I get treated very differently because I can speak. This can vary from people opening up and being talkative with me to having people know they can't rip me off anymore.
Being able to speak with my GF in Thai despite her level of proficiency, hell her level of proficiency is a great reason I should be able to read and write as well as she can in English and Italian.
When I lived in the US with my Ex, we could talk about anything in public and have a "private" conversation.
and lastly, it's just fun. Learning is fun to me, being able to communicate with more people is fun, and Thai can just be a fun language.
I don't agree on so many levels.
I find Thais generally dull (actually that is a bit unfair, I find almost everyone dull)
If you are living on a University campus that might not be true, but somehow I doubt it.
Anyway, I live on a farm and everyone is as dull as ditch-water (and they don't speak Thai anyway but village Lanna).
If they know you can understand them, they will chat for hours on subjects as interesting as, "my dinner was very spicy, I can drink 2 bottles of rice whiskey without dying", etc., etc.
As for wanting meaningful conversation with your lover ....... my god, how old are you, 12!
When you get to my age you will understand talking with your lover is even more boring than "I can drink 2 bottles ...."
As for people ripping you off, it's not the language you need to know, it's the price of everything you need to know.
Thai's People are dull, no need to communicate.
PS
Nobody in Thailand has a boring evening, unless they are cornered by Thais and generously allowed to pay for everything. To not have a boring night, you just need 500bht (1500 in BK) in your pocket and no Thai 'pals' leeching off you.
PPS
I assume you are speaking central Thai in BK, take a trip to Korat and see how far speaking central Thai gets you, or up to my village in Nan where it's another completely different language.
I pity this comment.
When we get to your age? Please! You're old, so we have to bow to your
do we? I'll tell you what. I'll come and meet you, in person, wherever you are in Thailand and we'll record your spoken Thai. Even your Lao/Korat/Issan/Khmer dialect.The fact you lump the Isaan and Korat languages together so easily tells me everything I need to know about you and your mindset.
The fact you live in the sticks and get your num sot kwaai (fresh buffalo milk) immediately answers any remaining questions I might have had.
Being a "farang kee nok" in the far north of Thailand is not an accomplishment any human should aspire to. I find all of this post risible and cause for genuine laughter amongst the 20-strong Thai family, currently sitting with me and asking what TV is all about.
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I do not know how this anecdote proves that life is cheap in Thailand. Accidents happen everywhere, in every country. Different societies and cultures have different ways of coping with death.
In my country of birth (Australia) we have a very high youth suicide rate. Again, I do not think that this proves that life is cheap in Australia, although some might argue that deliberately killing oneself is actually showing less respect for life than getting drunk, and riding a bike without a helmet.
Thus ignoring the fact that the incident rate for RTAs in Thailand, for both Thais and foreigners, is abnormally high.
Youth-suicide and unnecessary RTAs are wholly incomparable. Based on simple figures alone (and if the real figures were allowed to be known) Thailand has, allegedly, over 30,000 deaths as a direct result of a road accident, per year. Putting it in the top 1%.
Australia (whose official figures I actually believe) has 5,700. (Source.)
The fact is, Thailand will not record a death as being caused by a RTA if the victim dies after 24 hours of the accident taking place, allowing them to obfuscate and manipulate figures.
I still don't see how suicide is relevant and even if it were, the suicide rate in Thailand is much much higher than in Australia (taking into account Australia will tell us the real figures and Thailand will hide them.)
I lost my daughter-in-law and her husband a year and a half ago. I adopted their children they left behind. 3 and 8. A simple helmet would have save their lives. I am going to a memorial service for them today.
I lost a close Thai friend several years before that. A helmet would have saved his life.
I have been to 12 RTA-related funerals in 7 years. All of them, with the exception of maybe 2, were easily preventable. Several were children.
The fact is Thailand loves its draconian oppressive laws with gay abandon, but is loathe to bother to enforce them. There is virtually NO education of any kind about how you can save your own life, the life of others and the life of children in your care in this country.
It'll never change.
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I think it quite important to point out that 98% of the general Thai population would probably not be able to spend frivolously even on a decent knock-off.
Your average Thai will not make enough money in their whole lifetime to be able to buy one collector's Breitling, Tag, Rolex, whatever.
So when you say "Thai(s) and their watches". You're talking about a percentile of Thais so small and insignificant that it's not in any way a reflection of how the Thai population actually regard watches.
"Rich Asians and their watches" would have been infinitely more accurate in this case.
If its so small and insignificant then why do I see (different) Ferrarris, Lamborghinis, Porches, Bentleys, and countless, countless Benz's every, every day? Truth is, there are many, many rich Thais. And also beyond the hiso.
How do you explain public servants on 30k a year driving Benz's? Army general's kids in brand new Fortuners? etc.etc.
Personally it disgusts me, people who need to show off their wealth that way don't deserve it.
I already explained it with the caveat "2% of the population" which you and the OP continue to ignore.
I made my point, the likes reflect common consensus.
I don't really want to talk about watches any more.
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And I have thought of another passive downside to being able to understand Thai and that's the fact I can know understand everything that's said in the 3 & 7 mini operas my wife is inextricably addicted to
They're quite good (in a trashy kind of way) when you get into them - had some funny parts (the tom was great) and I've been inexpicably drawn to
I'll be man enough to admit I occasionally get drawn into it too! If I didn't understand, I'd be oblivious.
I've not watched one for at least a year, to be fair.
My favourite Thai television and probably the only thing I do watch (other than news)
The Police! Stop! Camera! affair on Thursday nights. I really like that.
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If you spend two years in a Thai jail, you will speak very good Thai.
Nothing else to do, no distractions, no other language to speak.
(I have a friend who learnt Thai this way, very quick, very effective, hardly any cost)
Very true. I know someone who just got out after a few years and he went from super basic Thai to conversational.
So we're actually promoting a stint inside prisons that feature in Amnesty's "World's Worst Prisons List" as an effective and rational way to learn a language?
Am I missing something here?
I'm assuming both of the quoted comments are extremely tongue-in-cheek.
Also, if you want to promote a much safer analogue, surely becoming a monk and being exclusively in a wat would be a much less dangerous way to get the same, if not better education. Not to mention that monks are often the most educated members of Thai society.
It'd allow you the same solitary and seclusion, without the very obvious downside of having all your liberty curtailed.
You'd also get to learn the religion, which is enmeshed in their culture and daily lives.
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I think it quite important to point out that 98% of the general Thai population would probably not be able to spend frivolously on a knock-off.
Your average Thai will not make enough money in their whole lifetime to be able to buy one collector's Breitling, Tag, Rolex, whatever.
So when you say "Thai(s) and their watches". You're talking about a percentile of Thais so small and insignificant that it's not in any way a reflection of how the Thai population actually regard watches.
"Rich Asians and their watches" would have been infinitely more accurate in this case.
i think you should get out of surat and come to the big cities more often than u have been. there are countless watch fest held by central/ the mall in the recent years. you will be astonished by the crowds.
what i see is that it has been a trend in the central bangkok (office area in sathorn/ sukhumnvit/ etc.) of thais getting pseudo luxury watches, and their small eco cars.
Bangkok does not represent the whole of Thailand and it's not surprising you have that BKK-centric view of Thailand.
Don't make assumptions on how much time I have spent in big cities in Thailand either. You don't know where I've lived, worked and travelled before the south, do you?
I spend my time between several provinces and large cities, not just Surat, all over southern Thailand seeing a vast array of real Thais from different social backgrounds. I also speak fluent Thai.
Crowds does not mean the ability to afford things nor does it mean that they are not getting the money, if they have it, by getting themselves into serious debt. Which is not being able to afford something in my book.
Out of ~70 million. 2% is still 1.4 million people you have left to apply your BKK-centric logic to.
I'd counter-argue that you should get out of Bangkok and see how the rest and the majority of the country actually live their lives.
If someone said to me as a Londoner, I represent the whole of the UK, I'd laugh in their face.
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I'd say I'm 95%, both spoken and written.
Apart from the very obvious social benefits, there's definitely a financial benefit.
Unofficial and aggressive dual pricing was the bane of my life and always a cause for bouts of rage, that nearly got me into trouble. (There were occasions I was easily being charged double or triple for things you have to buy that just don't have pricing on them in the shops.)
Since I have learned to speak fluent Thai overpricing for me has all but stopped.
It can help diffuse tense or angry situations.
It can definitely help prevent you from making Thais lose face and teach how to "white lie" in Thai to keep your life much less hassle free. We all know you have to pay lip service to ideas and concepts you don't like here.
It's obvious that if you've taken the time to become proficient in a language you're going to have a much better understanding and tolerance of that culture.
Thai people act very very differently around you if they're aware you can understand everything they say.
I can read things like contracts, road signs (aside from city names in English, obviously), newspapers, etc which have their own obvious merits. If you want to be totally self-sufficient in every aspect of life here, reading is essential. There are things you'll need to do as a farang that will only have Thai script for you to read.
I think it's bizarre to live full time in a country where you can't understand what is being said around you all the time. That would make me feel very uncomfortable and have severe trust issues.
The most important aspect for me personally, is that it allows me to be completely and totally conversant with the love of my life who is also my best friend.
Many relationships break down or suffer extreme stress when there is a severe break down in communication, trust issues aplenty there.
Having an argument with a Thai wife or gf is bad enough being conversant, let alone compounding the problem by not being able to understand one another.
I could not, in good conscience have a permanent life-long relationship with someone I didn't fully understand all the time.
I have even taken it upon myself to learn Dai my wife's and the southern part of Thailand's local dialect. The fact she's never hidden anything from me and has always helped me improve my Thai, always correcting me and telling me off (even in front of other people) just makes me love her even more.
Learning Thai could also reveal a lot of home truths that you didn't want to know (not that that was the case with me, but I'll give you an example)
I had a Swedish friend that was intent on learning Thai and wanted some help and I agreed. His wife (who I'd always hated - she was a slut) went nuts. She would not let him learn and threatened to leave him if he did.
This was the most absurd reaction I'd ever seen to anything. It was my wife that explained to me that if Stefan, my friend, did learn Thai, she wouldn't be able to lie to his face and smack-talk about him with other Thais while he was in the room. The "brother" that was in fact the gik would be found out and her life would disintegrate. This resolved me to ensure he learned it and found out the truth for himself.
I couldn't outright tell him his life was a lie knowing it could destroy my friendship with Stefan and perhaps make life dangerous for me. I could give him the tools to work it out for himself. Which is exactly what I did. He didn't get proficient but I made sure he learned enough. We learned together over the internet so as not to arouse suspicion.
He's now back in Sweden with a lovely new family and daughter and infinitely less stressed, richer and happier.
I think if you live here and you don't even slightly make the effort, there's got to be something wrong with you.
N.B. It has taken 7 years of permanently learning and talking Thai every day to get to this level and I'm still not really 100% if I am honest.
The fact I was not born speaking a tonal language is the thing that prevents me from being totally and perfectly fluent, with absolutely no imperfections. I suspect I never actually will get to that stage. I'll sure try to get close though.
I never used a school.
In the age of the internet, there's no reason why you'd pay through the nose for their services for mediocre teachers.
Most of what I've learned is self-taught with my wife and I think it's better to learn this way, as you get to speak the exact way your spouse does, the merits of which I outline above. You can reinforce this with the internet and learn the rules, grammar and other things that just don't come from a home schooling.
Not to mention it helps you get to know your partner and decide whether you do actually want to spend all of your life with that person.
I consider myself extremely lucky that my missus is the kind-hearted, friendly, loving, caring, educated, sensible person she is.
There are those kind of women out there in Thailand! You won't find them in bars in tourist sex havens!
EDIT:
And I have thought of another passive downside to being able to understand Thai and that's the fact I can know understand everything that's said in the 3 & 7 mini operas my wife is inextricably addicted to.
That is a pain worse than death, in my humble opinion.
Just a little jape!
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Go forth and learn. You owe it to yourself.
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I think it quite important to point out that 98% of the general Thai population would probably not be able to spend frivolously even on a decent knock-off.
Your average Thai will not make enough money in their whole lifetime to be able to buy one collector's Breitling, Tag, Rolex, whatever.
So when you say "Thai(s) and their watches". You're talking about a percentile of Thais so small and insignificant that it's not in any way a reflection of how the Thai population actually regard watches.
"Rich Asians and their watches" would have been infinitely more accurate in this case.
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Maninsurat. With The Flounce Of The Year.
in General Topics
Posted
Thanks for the positive comments. There's some still some decent people left here.
I knew I came back, but it was only to show you this.
You now know that when I said I was stressed (and we all are) I was really, never in my life been that stressed stressed.
I'm going fishing for 3 days.
Play nice.