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It seems that that was the point Gaybutton was trying to make. In that case I surely owe him an apology. “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

Like I said, happy to oblige. 😉

Please don't take offense if I fail to heed your advice and embrace La Cage Aux Folles as a prescription for how to lead my life. 🤣 Good luck to you, my friend, but I don't wish to die that way. I don't want to be that lonely old man withering away in farangland, thanking the almighty that I was wise enough to hold my emotions tightly in check.

Happy I could bring a bit of amusement into your day. As I said before, I acknowledge that you're speaking honestly--and I believe from the heart--about you've experiences. In my book you are providing a valuable reflection on your many years as a Pattaya expat. I hope you'll keep warning us for many more. But you're quick to dismiss others who've had different experiences and formed a different perspective. You're persuaded that only your take on the matter could possibly be true and others must be delusional.

Indeed they are not. Love is placing the other person's well being on a par with your own. It's being emotionally available as a confidant and friend. It's accepting the other person's foibles as he accepts yours. It's taking joy in each other's company. It's mutual affection and trust. It's the realization that you are unquestionably happy and fulfilled when you are together. I've found that I need that experience in my life. And I agree that it has nothing whatsoever to do with sex.

Death toll rises to 22 The Bangkok Post reports that a woman who was seriously burned in the Mountain B fire has succumbed to her injuries.

Guess I'll just count myself as very lucky. The last six years of my life have been the happiest of the preceding 70. Up until that point I'd always considered myself a committed butterfly. I don't concern myself with "true" love. I'm perfectly happy just to have someone simply to love. I don't need a litmus test with which to measure it. We insulate ourselves by the use of language. We become "clients", young men become "professionals." That makes it easier to put the required emotional distance between us. For many, that's a healthy way to look at it. The parties part ways without emotional baggage. I tip my hat to all those who find contentment in their later years without any emotional attachments. At one time I counted myself in that camp. And then a simple smile turned my life on a dime. You may think of me as foolhardy and delusional. So be it. But you can't feel what I feel; know what I know. We all came to Thailand because we sought sexual intimacy we couldn't find at home. Please be tolerant of those of us who discovered emotional intimacy and affection in that same pursuit.

This forum regularly sees members unabashedly post about fucking boys, sucking boys, kissing boys and rimming boys. Odd how when someone suggests loving boys the naysayers come out of the woodwork. Just saying.

Amen.

The flip side of the question is likewise worth considering: How are customers different than say 20 years ago? They're older They're more suspicious They're more paranoid Other than that, I don't see a lot of difference 🙂

The following article appears in The Thaiger and The Nation. The Thaiger noted that the source of the the article references “Terminal 4” but perhaps meant the fourth floor departure level. From The Thaiger Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok’s main international airport, is getting an upgrade: a new passenger validation system is being put in place. The new PVS will be launched in the airport officially on September 1 and will be found at Terminal 4 for both domestic and international passengers. [See note above). The PVS system is intended to speed up the process of screening passengers, making it more efficient while simultaneously giving a boost to Suvarnabhumi Airport’s security, according to an announcement by airport officials yesterday. The new systems will bring Bangkok’s main airport up to international standards in passenger security, requiring passengers to go through an automated screening process at kiosks. Travellers will have their boarding passes scanned by the PVS reader, whether they are paper documents or e-boarding passes, and the system will retrieve their travel information. Airport employees will still be on hand at nearby counters to help with any questions and guide any confused customers through the PVS automation system. The PVS will confirm each passenger’s travel information and provide an extra layer of security against fraud, as the airport explained. “The PVS will ensure that [the] passenger screening process is fast and accurate, and will prevent unauthorised persons from entering restricted or flight-controlled areas. This system will also prevent the reuse of boarding passes that have already been scanned.” For foreign travellers: Zone 2, rows J-K will have two counters for outgoing travellers Zone 3, rows S-T will have three counters for foreigners For Thai nationals: Rows C-D will have eight counters for outgoing travellers There are an additional two check-in counters in rows L-M that was not clarified if they were for Thai passport holders or foreign passport holders.

Glad you said that. You'll never regret being polite and smiling. It has to be about 12 years ago that I was approached by a gorgeous guy on Soi Tarntawan who was hawking for Super A bar. I can still remember his line" "You don't have to buy drink. Just go take a look." I had been to Super A before and knew I'd never find a guy this good inside so I replied, "you're a really cute guy; would you like to come to my hotel?" He seemed taken aback and after a few seconds responded with. "OK, 4,000 baht." I'd never heard a number like this before and I said, "you're not that cute." I regret it to this day. Not only because it was unkind, but it wasn't true. He was that cute. Those four words abruptly ended any opportunity I may have had with him. That I can still recall the exchange a dozen years ago makes it all so clear to me that I've never really forgotten him. When I passed by him a week or so later, he just looked down and shuffled his feet. Why didn't I just make a counter offer? Why didn't I apologize when I saw him again? Because I was stupid.

Do you think with just a little more effort (i.e., stay up till 3a.m.) you could get one of them down to 400 and 31 minutes?

And the delivery of gift to boy's bar also buys him a hell of a lot of face.

NOTE -- For those with an interest in Thai political history, this piece helps explain how the graduates of an elite military academy have come to govern the country. From Thai PBS World The rise to power of ‘big brother’ Prawit Wongsuwan Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan is generally considered a weak link in Prayut Chan-o-cha’s administration, tainted by the scandal over a multimillion-baht wristwatch collection, despite his repeated denials of corruption. But in a twist of fate, he finally finds himself in the top post of prime minister, thanks to a legal dispute over the tenure of his junior Army classmate. The Constitutional Court on Wednesday voted 5:4 to suspend PM Prayut from duty after it decided to accept a petition filed by the opposition asking for a ruling on his eight-year term as prime minister. Prayut will be suspended as PM until the ruling is delivered, though he can continue to serve as defense minister in the Cabinet. Prawit, who is leader of the ruling Palang Pracharath Party, tops the hierarchy of the six deputy prime ministers, so he automatically became caretaker prime minister following Prayut’s suspension. Prawit will remain as caretaker PM until the Constitutional Court issues its ruling on Prayut’s tenure. Prawit, now 77, is known as the “big brother” of the Burapha Payak (“Tigers of the East”) military clique of officers, who typically start their careers in the 21st Infantry Regiment based in Prachinburi. This group includes former Commander-in-Chief Anupong Paochinda and his successor Prayut. The trio of generals is dubbed the “3Ps” – Prayut, Prawit and “Pock” (Anupong). While Prayut led the coup that toppled the Yingluck government in 2014, Prawit is widely credited with helping the military prolong its power after the 2019 general election. In June 2020, as chief party strategist, Prawit was elected as Palang Pracharath’s new leader. He won the top seat uncontested, announcing he would accept the post to end internal disputes as it would allow him to handle party infighting. “They [the factions] must be reconciled,” he said. His rise to party chief was expected to quell an ongoing power struggle within Palang Pracharath, which has many factions. Prawit, now 77, is known as the “big brother” of the Burapha Payak (“Tigers of the East”) military clique of officers, who typically start their careers in the 21st Infantry Regiment based in Prachinburi. This group includes former Commander-in-Chief Anupong Paochinda and his successor Prayut. The trio of generals is dubbed the “3Ps” – Prayut, Prawit and “Pock” (Anupong). While Prayut led the coup that toppled the Yingluck government in 2014, Prawit is widely credited with helping the military prolong its power after the 2019 general election. In June 2020, as chief party strategist, Prawit was elected as Palang Pracharath’s new leader. He won the top seat uncontested, announcing he would accept the post to end internal disputes as it would allow him to handle party infighting. “They [the factions] must be reconciled,” he said. His rise to party chief was expected to quell an ongoing power struggle within Palang Pracharath, which has many factions. Continues at https://www.thaipbsworld.com/the-rise-to-power-of-big-brother-prawit-wongsuwan-new-caretaker-pm/

21st victim dies The Bangkok Post is reporting that the Mountain B fire has claimed its 21st death when a man succumbed to injuries in a Bangkok Hospital. Nineteen victims remain hospitalized, seven of them relying in ventilators.

From Pattaya News Sixth Case reported in Thailand Thailand yesterday (August 26th), reported the sixth confirmed case of Monkeypox which is a Thai woman in Maha Sarakham, in the northeast of Thailand. The director-general of the Department of Disease Control, Dr. Opas Karnkawinpong, revealed that the latest patient was a 21-year-old Thai woman who is a massage worker who recently came back from Qatar. – August 10th a red rash started from her genitals while she was in Qatar. – August 21st she returned back to Thailand and arrived at her home in Maha Sarakham. – August 22nd went to a local hospital with fever and swollen lymph nodes. – August 24th she was confirmed with Monkeypox. Dr. Opas added, “It is obvious that the patient was an imported case from abroad. There are four high risk contacts and 24 low risk people from this case. The patient and risk cases are now under close observation of medical personnel and Public Health officials. The Director-General urged the public to remain calm as the disease is not easily contracted.”

I'm not a Jupiter fan but judging from all the posts about it I believe it operates differently from just about all of the other bars in the Silom area in respect to both ST and LT pricing. It seems that there are no "going rates." Each guy is his own, individual profit center. He's free to try to charge what the market will bear depending upon demand at any given moment. Keep in mind you're always free to make a counter offer but as Vinapu has said it's not the same as bargaining over a Persian carpet: haggling is unlikely to improve your experience. The guy you like will have a price range in mind and you should, too.

When my cable bill hit $89 eight years ago I cancelled it in favor of an old fashioned tv antenna. I get 64 channels, giving me all the news, sports and entertainment options I need. Consequently I'm spared the scores of cable news offerings that prove more political than informative.

From Reuters BANGKOK, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Thailand raised its daily minimum wage for the first time in more than two years on Friday, the labour ministry said, as it seeks to help workers cope with rising living costs and the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. A committee made up of government representatives, companies and labour groups agreed to raise wages by an average of 5.02% from Oct. 1, Boonchob Suthamanaswong, the ministry's permanent secretary, said in a statement. The minimum wage was last hiked in January 2020, by 1.6%-1.8%. The exact rates differ slightly between regions with the three most industrialised provinces - Chonburi, Rayong and Phuket - and the capital Bangkok, at the top end of a 328 baht and 354 baht ($9.11-$9.84) range. The raise makes Thailand's monthly minimum wage - at 9,840 to 10,620 baht ($273.33-$295.00)- among the highest of its peers in Southeast Asia with such measures. By comparison, Vietnam, a regional manufacturing base, has a monthly minimum wage of between 3.25 million dong and 4.68 million dong ($138.82-$199.90). ($1 = 36.00 baht) ($1 = 23,412.0 dong)

NOTE -- The scene depicted in photo below appears to have been taken in Benjakitti Forest Park. From Time Boys’ Love Dramas Are Changing the Way Many People View Gay Romance In downtown Bangkok, a crowd of waiting women squeals as rookie actors Jitaraphol “Jimmy” Potiwihok and Tawinan “Sea” Anukoolprasert step out of a shopping mall. With their blushing humility and matinee idol looks, they effortlessly charm the assembled office workers and students in uniform. Yet it is Jitaraphol’s hand on the small of Tawinan’s back, and their fleeting glances, that elicit the loudest cheers. The intimate gestures echo their exchanges in the new series Vice Versa—one of many queer romances that are Thailand’s hottest cultural export. Known locally as Y shows, and globally as Boys’ Love (BL) dramas, the serials are poised to compete with South Korean telenovelas for viewership in Asia and beyond. Some see BL as Thailand’s soft power, doing for the Southeast Asian nation’s global image what the yoga boom has done for India or K-pop for South Korea. Jitaraphol tells TIME that the country’s queer dramas “can compete with series from other countries.” Poowin Bunyavejchewin is a senior researcher at the Institute of East Asian Studies at Thammasat University in Bangkok, who has made a study of BL. He says that if the genre was able to hook foreign audiences “it would be a high potential revenue generator.” BL’s success isn’t a given, however. Thailand is a socially conservative, primarily Buddhist country with a significant Muslim minority. The country’s military-backed regime—known for its use of repressive laws to crack down on politically progressive forces—is also unlikely to be enthusiastic about the country’s burgeoning reputation as an exporter of luscious gay TV. It isn’t just the growth of an entertainment genre at stake. Thomas Baudinette, a cultural anthropologist at Sydney’s Macquarie University, credits BL with an “emancipatory, very positively framed, romantic depiction of male-male love.” Continues at https://time.com/6208817/thailand-bl-dramas-popularity/

From Pattaya News Haven’t been to Thailand since before the Covid-19 pandemic took place, say before March 2020? We have you covered here at TPN media. The following article is designed for visitors and tourists, not expats, and is focused on some of the changes in venues, atmosphere, and the town in general since pre Covid. For the ease of use in this article we will call that period PC. AC will be after Covid. This article isn’t designed to list every single change, business opening, closure, etc. It’s only a general guide for those who haven’t been in a while, not meant to be all inclusive. We also aren’t covering requirements with visa, or covid vaccines etc. To come. This is more focused on Pattaya itself. We here in Pattaya have already seen many people returning for the first time in two years plus and the number of people returning will only likely increase as we move into Quarter Four and the first high season without strict border entry restrictions since 2019. Let’s begin. Continues at https://thepattayanews.com/2022/08/26/feature-a-tourists-guide-to-some-of-the-biggest-changes-in-pattaya-for-visitors-who-have-not-been-since-before-the-covid-19-pandemic/

From Khaosod English / Thaiger Thai Airways announced it is renting three more planes and hiring 600 more staff this year as part of its restructuring plans. After cutting costs, selling stock, chasing debts, and distributing plane seats, Thai Airways’ turnover rate in the third quarter of this year is expected to increase. Not only that, the President of the Reorganisation Committee of the Thai Airways International Public Company, Piyasavat Amranand, says he expects the company to be back in black within the next two years. Piyasavat added that Thai Smile Airways, a subsidiary of Thai Airways, has seen an increase in passengers. He said the number of passengers is at about 80% of the pre-Covid-19 days. The president said Thai Airways needed more personnel, especially ground staff, in response to the increasing number of passengers. So, he made known that they would outsource 600 staff to fill vacancies in the ground service area, cargo department, and kitchen. The number of company staff will be raised to 15,000 next year. The company is also expecting more travellers from India, and European countries as Thailand approaches its high season from October to December. Moreover, Thai Airways will resume direct flights from Bangkok to Milan, Italy, and Bangkok to Oslo, Norway, by the end of this year or the beginning of next year, and increase flights from Bangkok to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia from four to seven flights per week. Piyasavat believes Thai Airways will be back in black and on track by 2024 and end its reorganisation plan in 2025.

I'm not a resident but I was in that area on my last trip in July. A large, new building is going up on the block bordered on three sides by Silom rd., Convent rd., and the narrow soi that runs behind the Silom complex. Most of the food vendors on the periphery of the site have had to relocate. I would not be surprised if the construction work generates much noise. Best wishes for a good trip. Just spoke with a bartender at a Patpong club and he says business is steadily picking up.

What power does Prawit have as acting PM? From Thai PBS World The decision by the Constitutional Court to suspend Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha from active duty might have fallen short of the expectations of the opposition bloc and anti-government demonstrators, but should help lower the political temperature — at least for the time being, according to political analysts. Businessmen and industrialists, meanwhile, expressed confidence that the current political uncertainty should not have serious effect on the economy as the country begins to recover from the impact of Covid-19 pandemic. The Constitutional Court on Wednesday voted unanimously to accept a petition submitted by the opposition bloc for it to rule on Gen Prayut’s term of office as prime minister. The court also issued an injunction that prohibits Prayut from performing his prime ministerial duty, pending its final ruling. Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan is now assuming the role of acting prime minister amid questions as to what power he really has in his caretaker capacity. The State Administration Act makes it clear that an acting prime minister “has the same authority bestowed to the person he replaces”. Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam on Wednesday also stressed that Prawit will be running the country with the full authority of a prime minister. “He will be administering with the power of the prime minister. He can even reshuffle the Cabinet or dissolve the Parliament,” Wissanu said in answering a question from reporters. “But why would he want to do that?” Wissanu quickly added. The opposition bloc and anti-government demonstrators have demanded an immediate resignation of Prime Minister Prayut who they believe have served out his eight-year term limit at midnight Tuesday. The demonstrators have also rejected Prawit’s role as acting prime minister and vowed to continue their protests. The 77-year-old former army chief is known as the “Big Brother” of the military top brass that seized power in 2014 and on several occasions designated was as acting prime minister whenever Prime Minister Prayut went on overseas trips. Jade Donavanik, a well-known law expert at Dhurakij Pundit University, told Thai PBS World that the court’s decision to suspend Prayut from active duty should help reduce the political tensions at least for the time being. “It has certainly taken the heat out of the situation,” he said, referring to the escalating street protests over the past weeks. However, Jade suggested that even though Prayut can continue to serve as defence minister, he should play a low profile in order not to give the impression that he still calls the shots. Meanwhile, several leading businessmen have played down possible negative impact on the economy and investments by the temporary departure of Prime Minister Prayut. They believe that the government under Prawit’s leadership will continue to implement all the policies it has initiated. “The government should continue to function without any disruption,” said Kriengkrai Thiennukul, president of the Federation of Thai Industries. While admitting that the current political situation may pose a challenge to the government’s stability, President of Thai Chamber of Commerce Sanan Angubolkul said it should not have any adverse impact on the private sector. “Our tourism and export industry is making a rebound and it should not be affected by the court’s decision,” he said. By Thepchai Yong