Gaybutton

Beats me. I've never seen one . . .

That was very kind of you to say. I truly appreciate it. With all the complaints, criticism, put-downs, etc, knowing that at least some people out there benefit from the effort, that's what makes it all worth doing.

On a recent thread I posted that you can now open a PayPal account in Thailand. It is relatively easy to open the account. I opened mine using Bangkok Bank as my bank account. Part of the registration requires a credit card number. I used my Bangkok Bank debit card number and it was accepted. PayPal makes a small deposit into your account. A security code is part of the deposit. I could not see the code with use of online banking, so I called Bangkok Bank and they knew exactly what I was asking for and gave me the code. Now I had a confirmed account. In order to remove restrictions you need to upgrade to PayPal's Premium account. That was simple. One click of a button on the PayPal site and I was instantly upgraded. If you are going to withdraw funds from your PayPal account by having them deposit your funds into your Thai bank account, they charge 50 baht if the withdrawal is less than 5000 baht. If it is greater than 5000 baht there is no charge. After having done that, it was time for "proof of the pudding." PayPal's web site says it takes 5 to 7 business days for the deposit to go through to a Thai bank account. On Sunday night I transferred money from my PayPal account to my Bangkok Bank account. Today is Thursday. This morning, 9:00am I checked my account and the money I transferred had arrived. So, not only does it really work, but it only took 3 business days. That offers some alternatives. For example, if you have a Thai boyfriend, if he has a Thai bank account then you can have him open a PayPal account and transfer money to him via PayPal. Also, if you hold a Thai bank account and wish to avoid those 150 baht ATM fees, then you can do as I did and transfer money from PayPal into your own Thai bank account, and then use your Thai ATM card when you are in Thailand. At any ATM in Thailand the fee for a withdrawal is usually 25 baht. If you are in the province where you opened your Thai bank account, then if you use your own bank's ATMs, there is no withdrawal fee at all. Be advised that while PayPal issues a debit card of their own upon request, they do not issue a debit card based on a Thai bank account.

Very good. I didn't know about that. It's not entirely the same as what I have, but it's close enough.

Maybe he got that idea from the story about George Washington chopping down the cherry tree.

That depends upon whether they receive police orders to close for the holiday. If they don't receive 'close for holiday' orders, they can remain open or make their own decisions. Usually police orders are not issued until about 24 hours in advance, so there is no way to answer your question until the time comes.

Yes. You don't even need the passport. Cash is your passport.

I'll try to find it next time I'm in there.

Today I tried your sausage recipe. Absolutely perfect!!!! It came out exactly the way I hoped it would and also tastes just like I hoped. Thank you very much for that recipe. Another thing I like about it is that is is very easy to make and the spices are not expensive at all. I was able to find all of them, but finding the sage was a problem. I looked in three different grocery stores and couldn't find any. I finally found the sage in the grocery store at the new Central shopping mall.

Finding available boys, even when the bars are closed, will be the least of your problems. Many who are not familiar with Thailand are under the impression that you have to go to the bars to find boys. Thank God, that's not true at all. Cruise areas, shopping centers, restaurants (plenty of waiters are gay and willing), beaches, saunas, and virtually anywhere you can easily, very easily, find willing boys. And there are always the gay personals sites. My favorite is Gay Romeo. Get on Gay Romeo ( http://www.gayromeo.com ) and make a profile that shows your area as Bangkok or Pattaya. That way, every Thai boy who uses Gay Romeo will see you on their own search. You don't even need to include a photo if you prefer not to. Then log in and don't do a thing. Just sit there. I'd be willing to bet about anything that within ten minutes, probably less, at least one boy will send you a message telling you he wants to meet you right now!

Sounds just the same as some of the farang at the beach, to me . . .

Thank you. I'll try again next time I'm in there.

I was in Villa Market today. I can't find that bread slicing guide. I searched the kitchen gadget area, but if it's there I couldn't spot it. Can you tell me where it is?

http://www.dtac.co.th/eng/news/3g.php

I don't have that problem. My magnifying glass broke . . .

If that's the case, then he was banned without my knowledge. Even so, the point I was making is the fact that the statement was made that I had banned him. No, I didn't, and until reading your response to my post I didn't even know he was banned. Well, good. This is one time I'm glad to be wrong. So much for the accusations that if someone is banned on this board, then I must be the one who did it.

I'm going to challenge that. I don't think I write posts designed to accuse people, whether overtly or through innuendo. I also think if you claim to always tell the truth, you can't claim to always get your facts right. On another board, for example, and under a different name, you wrote that I banned Catawampuscat from this board and also banned your Earwig name here. I did neither. Catawampuscat is not banned and never has been banned. He always was, and still is perfectly free to post here any time he wishes. When the Earwig name was banned yes, it was I who pressed the button, but it was not I who authorized it. No one has ever been banned from this board by a unilateral decision by me. Any user who has ever been banned was banned by mutual decision of the moderators and the owner of the board, any one of whom could have vetoed the ban decision. Also, there seems to be a great deal of assumption that the time I resigned from this board it was due to a dispute between GayThailand and myself over Earwig. The truth is Earwig was not even a factor in my decision at that time. A settlement of a dispute also had nothing to do with my decision to stay on as moderator. The truth is Rainwalker convinced me to stay on and to this day I still feel a major debt of gratitude toward him for the things he said to me in private discussions. If it wasn't for Rainwalker, I would not have stayed on as moderator. So everyone out there has Rainwalker to either thank or blame for my presence here as moderator.

Thank you very much. I'll have a look. Having a cheapie is better than having nothing at all.

I lift weights too. I stand up.

AIS owns 1-2-Call.

Well, at least you've got me pegged . . .

That made my "I Don't Get It" list long ago too. And if you want to add to the list, there are plenty of stores that ignore the law and sell alcohol anyway during those hours. I haven't heard of any stores or individuals getting into trouble about it.

The personal attacks are not exactly anything new on the gay Thailand boards. I have to plead guilty of launching and participating in those kinds of attacks myself. And anyone who has been on these boards for any length of time knows that I am very often the recipient of personal attacks, whether provoked or unprovoked, deserved or not. The trick is not giving a hoot about those attacks. In my case I just consider the source. While we don't allow it on this board, everyone knows that some other boards permit it, in the name of free speech, which I personally find ridiculous. The thing is, in my opinion, if one can't handle being on the receiving end of personal attacks, snide remarks, put downs, etc. then they ought not to post on these boards. It seems to me the more prolific the poster, the more likely and the more often he'll be attacked with as much viciousness as the attacker's command of English allows him to conjure up. I think part of it is due to the ease of hiding behind the anonymity of the message boards. Many attackers post attacks that they would never dare say face-to-face to the 'attackee.'

That seems to be the case. I don't think it is in any way ingratitude. I think it is merely a cultural difference and the gratitude is expressed in more subtle ways. I've also noticed that when someone receives multiple gifts, such as at a birthday party or even a wedding, they don't open the gifts. They wait until they go home, or if the party is being held at their home they wait until everyone has left. But Thailand is not noted for consistency. I've also seen times when the recipient of a gift expresses gratitude in the way most of us would expect. I agree with lester1 in that if you are expecting a big thank-you and other expressions of gratitude, then in Thailand you're barking up the wrong tree. I've learned that the gratitude is truly there, but I have no expectation of seeing it expressed. Every so often I'm pleasantly surprised. By the way, giving a cash gift is perfectly acceptable in Thailand, even at formal occasions such as weddings. Rather than going out and buying a gift, I have learned that it works much better if I give a cash gift whenever I can. Most of the time, when I have given a gift it turns out to be something the recipient doesn't really want in the first place, so I spent time and money shopping for something that is more likely going to end up being sold, pawned, given to someone else, or just thrown away. I'd rather give a cash gift and let the recipient do whatever he wants with it. That also seems to be much more appreciated. I have also learned that while it is not considered crass to give a cash gift, it is considered crass if you simply hand over money. If you are going to give a cash gift, put it in an envelope and hand over the envelope. I have also learned that it is essentially useless to give a gift that is meant to be of sentimental value. I have yet to meet a Thai person who thinks that way. They don't seem to attach sentiment to any kind of gift. Along with cash gifts, the gifts that seem to be most appreciated are gifts of gold or a gift of a mobile phone. I no longer give gold. It always ends up being pawned or sold, exchanged, stolen, given to mama, or lord-knows-what. I also don't give a mobile phone as a gift. Unless it is one of the most expensive phones, with all the bells and whistles, rather than appreciated it almost seems to be resented, and they let you know it too.

For those who reside in Thailand, if you wish you can open an account with DTAC and receive a monthly bill rather than having to deal with topping up your time with phone cards. It is also less expensive per minute than 1-2-Call. The only problem is DTAC does not allow foreigners to open an account without a work permit. However, if you can find a Thai citizen willing to open an account for you then all he has to do is use your address for billing and give you the SIM card. That's how I have been doing it for years. I receive a bill once a month and I can pay it online or at any DTAC shop. I much prefer it to use of phone cards. The service includes a one-click number to check the status of your bill at any time, so that you know how much to expect your bill to be.