Just curious

[Norseman]

To be honest I think tarakandi, prcscct and SM67 are right.
First of all ; you can not live in Thailand and expect all services and technical services to be just a copy of the western world, something what we wanted to get away from.

I strongly believe that SM67 is observing and feeling things that most of us never see or is hit by because most of us are not engaged in the bar business as he is.

SM67 may overreact and sound crazy from time to time, but he is not the type of guy who just say "enough of Thailand" and take first plane back home.

I like the way Pete (prcscct) say, SM67 is not a loose cannon and he will never be a loose cannon as far as I know him, but we must all remember that life is not easy when you are involved in a business that most of us don't know anything about.
I do however understand tarakandi and other members regarding their posts about "if you can't cope with it or fit in - then leave", but it's a bit too easy to say.
I can only say, try hard and find your own way of dealing with stupidity and the obvious lack of understanding what a farang knows and are able to do.
It is a fact that many workers don't want to listen to you, but it's far better to take it out here rather to the man in front of you.
Just remember that we can be shut down by the local authorities if we use too strong words and are too emotional.
I don't have a clue if you understand what I'm trying to say, but please try.

[Takiap]

OP, as others have pointed out, you obviously don't visit any of the other forums. Mind you, neither do I, simply because I'm not willing to waste my time. HHAD has always been a great forum as far as I'm concerned, but let's face it, it's only natural to vent off steam if you've had a bad hair day. I recently did so myself, but that's not to say I logged on for that reason. Instead, I simply logged on as I always do, and then one or other post proved to be too tempting, and I ended up letting off some steam.

I, like sandman, also get sick of some people always jumping up to defend the Thai, even when they are wrong. Thailand is not the world's most perfect country, and no, Thais are not all perfect people. Sometimes it seems as though many westerners automatically feel sorry for all Thais, which in a way, can also be seen as insulting, in that it suggests you believe you're a cut above them.

Just because some of us have a moan at times about the people or the country, doesn't mean we're not happy being here. If you walked into a government office in your home country, and you were met with blatant arrogance, you'd be unhappy about it, so why should it not be the same when you're here?

A lot of expats complain about the MIB, and perhaps they have good reason too. For me on the other hand, I have always found them to be very pleasant, and certainly nowhere as miserable as the average plod you meet in other countries. Even when you do have to part with 200 baht, it's all done with a smile, and the officer you've just sponsored bears no grudge against you. Almost everyday I pass one or more traffic police when I'm nipping down to the local shops without a helmet on, and yet they never stop me. Yes, I am breaking the law, and yes, they should be doing their job I suppose, but hey, TIT, and they more than likely don't were helmets either once they finish work. What I'm getting at is that I find most MIB have an attitude of "live and let live". Of course if I ran a business here, maybe I would feel otherwise.

What do you think about "double pricing"? Perhaps you feel it's right, because hey, farang are better off than Thais, My reply to that would be..............bullshit. I once went to Sam Roi Yd or whatever it's called, and what I had to pay was ridiculous compared to what Thais pay. Guess what, there was not even one poor Thai their. The poorest visitor there was me on my trusty old Honda Wave. All the visiting Thais were driving brand new cars, so it's hardly as if the double pricing system is benefiting the poor "rural" class Thais. I come from a country which can be considered poor, and yet there's one price for all.

I've often been told that this is their country, and that I'm merely a guest, so I need to accept things as they are. Of course I don't see myself as a guest, considering I've been married to a Thai for ten years, and even more importantly, I have two kids here. Their future and their security is my concern, so I hardly feel as though I should simply be turning a blind eye to anything and everything I don't agree with.

Now, finally, perhaps it is you, the OP, who is actually the moaner , because after all, you've come on here to complain and moan about the other forum members. Take a break, have a beer, even scratch your arse if you like, and then just smile as the world goes by.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go and feed the kids, feed the goat, feed myself, feed the chickens, cut the grass, and in between all that, I still have to find the time to enjoy a bloody beer. Damn, life's a bitch.

[hhfarang]

If you walked into a government office in your home country, and you were met with blatant arrogance, you'd be unhappy about it, so why should it not be the same when you're here?

Yeah, try dealing with the INS (immigration) or the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) in the U.S.

My experiences with them (INS to get my step daughter there... took 4 years even though her mother was already living there on a green card married to a citizen!) and the DMV have always been a nightmare worse than what I have to do to maintain immigration status or getting a drivers license (or getting either renewed) here!

[tarakandi]

sandman67, your post has been edited, you have been warned against making sweeping generalizations about local authorities before. They do monitor this forum and we would like to remain online.

I feel at times Sandman67’s comments very insolent and derogatory towards the local authorities, MIB and Thai’s in general. We should also bear in mind that this forum does not function in isolation.

[richard]

Takiap

Great post

I find this site and other Thai sites informative. Like I need some info so I ask. I also vent my frustrations when they come to a head as I would in a face to face bar situ

When I really get uptight about the local situations I step back and ask myself, do you want to move on? Do you want to go home

Believe me my problems are minimal when comparing the idea of going back to the UK. The red tape, the weather, the prices, the grumpiness. Can you sit in a pub in the UK and strike up a conversation with a complete stranger? Can you look at a girl without being being labelled as a lecherous sex maniac? Can you help a child across the road without being labelled as a pedophile?

In Thailand we have it too good and we should be thankful. The niggles are minor compared to many other parts of the globe.

There is nothing wrong in venting one's frustrations on the forum providing you abide by the T/Cs and don't get into a mud slinging exercise IMO

[tarakandi]

Richard/Takiap

I agree with you, I found this quote, which may actually indicate the crux of the issue, namely we have the internet to publish our complaints and maybe in the past we either set about fixing things or wee more flexible to live and let live.


When any fit of gloominess, or perversion of mind, lays hold upon you, make it a rule not to publish it by complaints. ~Samuel Johnson

[bladerunner2120]

Quite true, reading other forums i often wonder why any foreginer lives in Thailand, they often paint a poor picture of, often complian about Thai competence etc etc...ive found quite a few to be negative, but isnt that human nature? all i can say is it says a lot about the person, as for sm....maybe with your internt/power problems it might have been the universe giving you a hint...go for a walk, smell the roses, i experianced that in BKK several years ago one day the power when off for 9 hrs, once the power was off for 30 min i would go out for the day.

[Vital Spark]

This is a difficult one, as it depends on each person's lifestyle here in Thailand, and how it affects them personally.

If you're running a business (like SM's missus is) then you'll obviously come up against obstacles and situations that other people will never understand or have to confront. If you're working for the Thai government (like I and Mr.VS are) then you have other, albeit minor, frustrations to contend with. If you're not working (and maybe married to a Thai) - then you may/or may not face a few annoyances.

We're all different, and possibly have different expectations of living here. It ain't perfect (where is?) and, in my opinion, there's nothing wrong with having a good moan when you're getting to screaming pitch. Just as long as it doesn't jeopardise the site. It may, in some cases, make the 'powers that be' (whoever they are) think about their actions.

VS

[richard]

.

It may, in some cases, make the 'powers that be' (whoever they are) think about their actions.

VS

VS

You really think so???

[Vital Spark]

I really don't know, Richard, which is why I said may.

We've found (as I'm sure you have) that in Thailand direct confrontation doesn't work. Which is why (if they're looking at this site) they may consider, or even think about, some of the problems we have to deal with. If they don't do anything, then nobody's lost face.

VS

[richard]

VS

Good point. Despite my 10 years here I still sometimes lapse into western logical thinking. The 'losing face thing' is a biggy in Thailand plus their other zany idea that if a monk has blessed their motorbike it is safe to drive like a maniac

Oh well, guess it's time to head back to Isaan. I'm getting too much western thinking here in HH

[margaretcarnes]

Yes SM - some things can be very frustrating there - especially when running a business. But I've honestly never had any problem with the MIB. Apart from them maybe not being in their little boxes when needed - but let's face it, as we all know they don't get paid huge amounts. All things considered I think they are very courteous towards expats and tourists.
My first reaction to your comment on them seizing equipment was hey - wish the British police had the same power to seize mobile phones from doppo drivers who continue to flaunt the law and use them while driving!
Getting some jobs done though can indeed be a nightmare. I'm sure we've all been there - the beautifully laid tiles - that don't match. The blue pipes laid over them. Those sideways toilets in Satukarn Square. The digging in the wrong place. And the wiring - oh my god the wiring!
But like the power outages it's a way of life, and we must always remember that as farang we are not expected to know how things work. Instead we must just smile - and take a walk down the beach in extreme cases. That always helps with the reality check. The world will still be there tomorrow, and the wiring can always be put right.

[Name Taken]

OP, as others have pointed out, you obviously don't visit any of the other forums. Mind you, neither do I, simply because I'm not willing to waste my time. HHAD has always been a great forum as far as I'm concerned, but let's face it, it's only natural to vent off steam if you've had a bad hair day. I recently did so myself, but that's not to say I logged on for that reason. Instead, I simply logged on as I always do, and then one or other post proved to be too tempting, and I ended up letting off some steam.

I, like sandman, also get sick of some people always jumping up to defend the Thai, even when they are wrong. Thailand is not the world's most perfect country, and no, Thais are not all perfect people. Sometimes it seems as though many westerners automatically feel sorry for all Thais, which in a way, can also be seen as insulting, in that it suggests you believe you're a cut above them.

Just because some of us have a moan at times about the people or the country, doesn't mean we're not happy being here. If you walked into a government office in your home country, and you were met with blatant arrogance, you'd be unhappy about it, so why should it not be the same when you're here?

A lot of expats complain about the MIB, and perhaps they have good reason too. For me on the other hand, I have always found them to be very pleasant, and certainly nowhere as miserable as the average plod you meet in other countries. Even when you do have to part with 200 baht, it's all done with a smile, and the officer you've just sponsored bears no grudge against you. Almost everyday I pass one or more traffic police when I'm nipping down to the local shops without a helmet on, and yet they never stop me. Yes, I am breaking the law, and yes, they should be doing their job I suppose, but hey, TIT, and they more than likely don't were helmets either once they finish work. What I'm getting at is that I find most MIB have an attitude of "live and let live". Of course if I ran a business here, maybe I would feel otherwise.

What do you think about "double pricing"? Perhaps you feel it's right, because hey, farang are better off than Thais, My reply to that would be..............bullshit. I once went to Sam Roi Yd or whatever it's called, and what I had to pay was ridiculous compared to what Thais pay. Guess what, there was not even one poor Thai their. The poorest visitor there was me on my trusty old Honda Wave. All the visiting Thais were driving brand new cars, so it's hardly as if the double pricing system is benefiting the poor "rural" class Thais. I come from a country which can be considered poor, and yet there's one price for all.

I've often been told that this is their country, and that I'm merely a guest, so I need to accept things as they are. Of course I don't see myself as a guest, considering I've been married to a Thai for ten years, and even more importantly, I have two kids here. Their future and their security is my concern, so I hardly feel as though I should simply be turning a blind eye to anything and everything I don't agree with.

Now, finally, perhaps it is you, the OP, who is actually the moaner , because after all, you've come on here to complain and moan about the other forum members. Take a break, have a beer, even scratch your arse if you like, and then just smile as the world goes by.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go and feed the kids, feed the goat, feed myself, feed the chickens, cut the grass, and in between all that, I still have to find the time to enjoy a bloody beer. Damn, life's a bitch.

I agree, I think tarakandi is really just a moaner moaning about other moaners(hypocrite).
I think he may also be a thai apologist to, constantly defending the thais and thailand even when they(thais) are wrong.
Shame

[Super Joe]

I think he may also be a thai apologist to, constantly defending the thais and thailand even when they(thais) are wrong. Shame

But luckily for them we're here to tell tell 'em exactly how wrong they and their culture is!! It's also a shame (read ignorance) when some of us label Thais 'stupid' or 'thick' when things aren't done as they may be back home because they were not fortunate enough to enjoy the same high standard of education, workplace training etc. It doesn't matter that two of them followed us home, carried and plumbed in the new washing machine ... cos the girl in the screw department DIDN'T KNOW WHAT AN 'EFFIN MASONRY DRILL BIT IS!!!

Some of us forget it's for exactly this reason that we are able to retire here early, with a wife half our age if we so wish, ie: the more developed a country, the more prosperous and expensive it is, generally speaking. Many farangs that harp on about corruption (like it magically appeared just after they landed here), yet take advantage of it when it suits. Many farangs in business here, myself included, take advantage of a number of non-by-the-book benefits, but we've have never read let alone respect employees rights under the labour laws, yet spit our dummies when given a taste of our own medicine. What goes around ...


We condemn the 'irresponsible' parents of the flower girls doing the rounds in the bars, while at the same time eat cheap meals in family run restaurants where we joke with the cute children bringing the plates of food, when their not scrubbing the dishes on the floor out the back. That's hypocrisy for you.

We don't seem to look in the mirror too often. There's certainly enough things that aren't excusable and deserving of criticism (not that personally I feel it's my place), driving down the wrong wide of the road with your 1 year old on the motorbike, the high level of male violence against their women, KFC not delivering 24 hours. But to be fair you only get the odd grumble on here, most of the other Thailand forums are a joke and full of it.


Take the rough with the smoothe, was it any better back in Hounslow, errr no.


SJ

[Name Taken]

I think he may also be a thai apologist to, constantly defending the thais and thailand even when they(thais) are wrong. Shame

But luckily for them we're here to tell tell 'em exactly how wrong they and their culture is!! It's also a shame (read ignorance) when some of us label Thais 'stupid' or 'thick' when things aren't done as they may be back home because they were not fortunate enough to enjoy the same high standard of education, workplace training etc. It doesn't matter that two of them followed us home, carried and plumbed in the new washing machine ... cos the girl in the screw department DIDN'T KNOW WHAT AN 'EFFIN MASONRY DRILL BIT IS!!!

Some of us forget it's for exactly this reason that we are able to retire here early, with a wife half our age if we so wish, ie: the more developed a country, the more prosperous and expensive it is, generally speaking. Many farangs that harp on about corruption (like it magically appeared just after they landed here), yet take advantage of it when it suits. Many farangs in business here, myself included, take advantage of a number of non-by-the-book benefits, but we've have never read let alone respect employees rights under the labour laws, yet spit our dummies when given a taste of our own medicine. What goes around ...


We condemn the 'irresponsible' parents of the flower girls doing the rounds in the bars, while at the same time eat cheap meals in family run restaurants where we joke with the cute children bringing the plates of food, when their not scrubbing the dishes on the floor out the back. That's hypocrisy for you.

We don't seem to look in the mirror too often. There's certainly enough things that aren't excusable and deserving of criticism (not that personally I feel it's my place), driving down the wrong wide of the road with your 1 year old on the motorbike, the high level of male violence against their women, KFC not delivering 24 hours. But to be fair you only get the odd grumble on here, most of the other Thailand forums are a joke and full of it.


Take the rough with the smoothe, was it any better back in Hounslow, errr no.


SJ

Joe, just go to a different Thailand based internet forum. I don't think you are a very popular person on this forum(?) and please don't quote my posts anymore, thanks.