NIrishGuy

SG said something like "And fear not should the vote be a yes there's no plan to erect Border Controls" Well, on the Scottish side of the border you Scots may think so but I have it on good authority that the English have already started pre-ordering up thousands of tons of rocks and boulders and that planning permission has already been applied for for Hadrian's Wall Mark Two just in case so they can make an early start to THEIR border controls ! :-) * But I'm guessing that would suit the average Scot just perfectly - especially if they got the English to pay for it !! lol

According to several other forums I've been reading tonight that seems to be the widely accepted and most probable cause it seems. Very sad that something as simple as incorrect loading or perhaps a critical failure of the cargo strapping during a "high performance" (which isnt recommended in the 747) can cause the death of seven people. :-(

I wonder what the cause was, the locals are claiming they shot it down but it certainly doesn't look that was from the video anyway ?

Ha January - me too ! So not aprils fools day as quoted on there then :-) Even better, perhaps we'll get that party after all then - but I think seeing as how it's our Birthday that several other board members should attend to buy the drink as there's bound to be SOME rule stopping us having to get a round in on our own Birthdays SURELY ! :-)

Hmmm someone else messaged me about that too - and no I can ASSURE you that that is most definitely NOT me but I've no doubt based on the date of the registration and a terse conversation I had with the person concerned that day who it IS / was, some people must have nothing better to do with their time. I'm also assuming (as he has already publicy stated) that the Scotty Guy isn't Scots guy etc and nor is Lazy Joe or whatever name was used for Joe him either - still it's nice to see that they were kind / lazy enough to give Joe and I the same birthday it seems, we'll have to be sure to meet up in Pattaya Joe and have a big joint birthday party on that date now Joe :-) So, to clarify and "for the record" - no that is NOT me as unlike some people I have and use ONE profile name and I use it on all / any boards I'm on ( and I'm not a member of the BB) as I've better things to do than waste my time snipping and making silly, childish comments for the sake of it on random posts from other boards as I just don't see what purpose it serves. But hey if someone's having fun doing that and gets a kick out of it - good luck to them - "whatever" - lifes to short to worry about such things as far as I'm concerned - but really, get a life perhaps.......

FH - absolutely ! I'm not suggesting that for a second and as I said I guess that's why the while coming out thing IS still a positive thing on a few levels to "state the fact" and show others its "ok to be gay". But as I'd said unfortunately I guess we still aren't just as far along that road of equality and inclusion as some people would have us think, such as the "why do we still need pride parades" or " what are the gays moaning about still as sure they HAVE all the same rights as us now anyway" type discussions that we DO still have to bother coming out at all and so define ourselves as "different" at ANY level - that's what I meant.

Whilst I've no intention of getting into the whole fiscal debate above ( as I'm simply not smart or knowledgable enough to bother) I'd like to just say I hope that Scotland doesn't vote for independence - simply for the fact that the rest of us here in Northern Ireland would miss you :-( I should also point out that SHOULD you go for it and become as rich and as prosperous as SG believes above ( and I don't doubt it actually) I would ask you to remember that WE MISS YOU and would be very grateful if you'd like to ( continue) bailing us work shy Northerners here out with some cash - as even though again SG is right the N.Ireland is top of the Uk ependiture list, I know one thing- I'm not seeing a damned penny of it ! :-( So, the basic message is - if you stay GREAT - keep sending the money - and if you go AWWW we're sad- but we're also we're skint, so could you send us some money ? There I think that just about covers the bases ......but if not and as a sign of good faith for things to come no matter what way the vote goes SG I think you should show good intent and start by sending me £500 cash and we'll say no more about it until after the vote and then we can work out how much more you've got to send after that ! :-)

I'm always torn when I hear about such coming out stories. On one hand on a personal level I'm always very happy for the individual concerned who, for whatever reason, whether that be on a business or personal level, has finally decided that they are ready and / or able to come out and be themselves. However on the other hand it always makes me slightly sad that for all the talk of equality and acceptance that's bandied about these days that coming out still even appears to be necessary in some way as if there was true acceptance and equality the basic fact would be a non issue and certainly not something considered that different or strange that it would justify such huge worldwide news coverage. But I guess though all in all the whole celeb coming out thing is still more of a positive than a negative ( I think? ) as it does basically reinforce the message that "hey look, NOT everyone is straight, some people ARE gay, so get over it" etc, but a small part of me still sighs in despair that there may even be a small perceived need to come out, which apart from the personal life validation it gives oneself is mainly after all just to assist society in defining you so they can put you in their little boxes. And I say the above as an out and proud gay man by the way and not someone who's playing the "my sexuality is no one elses business so I'm not for saying" thing just to avoid coming out ( not that there's anything wrong with that if that's ones choice - I guess) But the whole Celeb coming out thing - I just don't know - good idea or not - what do you think ?

It's simply called Ladyboys - which needless to say doesn't help when you're doing a google search to locate it and get a zillion replies back using that word ! However I've found that if you use Lasyboys series 1 etc that then throws up most of the programmes from series one - also just be aware that as this is a new and current programme type new series TWO episodes that are being discussed here haven't made up on to the torrents / YouTube just yet it seems so you may give it a while for those it seems - unless someone knows differently and can post a link ?

I believe this is the same player who lost / was penalised and made to concede / lose a complete frame the other day in a match when he failed to hit a single ball even when he was entitled and allowed three chances to do so ! :-) Opps ! Saying that he does seem like a real "character" as after the embarrassment he immediately had the crowd up clapping and cheering his terrible play so at least he doesn't take life to seriously it seems :-) Unfortunately it seems though that his entertaining style will be no more, at least in this years World Snooker Championships as he's just been put out of the running after a13-3 defeat, by a Welshman it seems ! Source : http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-2315431/WORLD-SNOOKER-CHAMPIONSHIP-2013-Dechawat-Poomjaeng-knocked-Michael-White.html

I'm not quite sure where you were but I found no lacking in the amount of farang ( unfortunately) and as always especially out Russian brethren ( and more so Chinese and Korean etc in Bangkok). Several Thai boys have reported that they are as busy as ever and they expect business to drop later in the week after Songkran so I guess there must be enough of us here to make a difference ? I did think songkran in general wasnt just as busy as last year perhaps but that have been me just being in different places at different times I guess. Sunee plaza I felt was just dead, I visited twice and whilst there were some customers in the bars the whole place felt dead and lifeless and I didn't hang about to long after finding the latest love of my life each night.

Hell that happened years ago, I'm a mere shadow of my former self these days, I'm even starting to drink bottles of water every now and then between rounds to pace myself ! I never thought I'd have to stoop to such low underhand ( but very wise) tactics ! :-) And don't worry I have a plan, which is to give it hell for three days at bkk songkran, then wind down for a day or two in Pattaya and then pick up from where I left off - of course you are absolutely right and my plan will fail miserably and I'll be a burnt out she'll within days, but sure it's fun getting there :-). We'll see ! :-)

Oh wow the sheer number of people here this year, it seems to be well up on last year, someone was telling me in the Thai calendar this is their new millennium (?) which may explain that if correct I guess, but Silom road was absolutely packed to the point of dangerous and there is NO way it would have been allowed to take place at those crush levels anywhere in the west and as much as I usually love being in a throng of Thai guys have to say it was verging in the edge of scary at one point as if someone had fallen over I think they'd of got crushed or walked on for sure. But apart from that great fun as always, With the exception of a quick trip to soi 4 - which was its usual mental but secy as hell self :-) and then a quick trip back to the hotel for a little R&R wuth a cutie i picked spent all day from 12 noon until 2am in banana bar in soi twilight where the Craic was great !! I decided to go the bottle route to slow down the money spending a bit but after the first few I forgot that I like a beer and a vodka chaser when "on the rip" so so much for that idea as I just ended up with beer AND vodka all day - so much for the saving money plan ha ! Nipped back for a quicky with one guy around 10pm who after we finished switched the lights out and rolled over to sleep and was most offended to get a proverbial boot up the ass with the lights being switched back on again and the term short time being explained to him in case he'd missed it the first time as apparently he'd decided I was a keeper and didn't want going out to the party again in case I found another boy - well I guess he was right about that part ! A crowd of us tootled off to DJ around 2am and to say it was packed to the rafters would be an understatement, which I never like as it makes it so much harder to slip about and meet new people. Then left there and hit GOD until 5.30am or and again it was rammed more than I've ever witnessed before to the point of moving around was difficult - oh and Chinese people EVERYWHERE SO many Chinese in every bar and club again more than I've noticed before. So it's now 4.00pm and I'm just surfacing and trying to shake off yesterday's hangover to go out and start all over again as the music is already blaring on the street, so a bite of grub, a beer out two to ease myself back I to things and then later a trip to Babylon I think where there's a foam party going on - so all in all a busy first day of songkran. Edit * - oh and joe you can add a guy from DJ, and a massage guy from Soi twilight and a guy off grindr into the above somewhere over the two days before if you're keeping a running tally ha ha but I thought I'd spare you the details lol - and to the poster who asked are Thai boys shy with toys - not all of them it seems :-)

So, I can only assume that there must be some hidden Thai that demands that Thai boys leave the shower head nozzle pointing right at where a farangs head might be as we reach in to turn the shower on - twice today already I have turned on the shower expecting to hear the water outpouring nicely into the bath only to get a face full of water !!! Perhaps it's because it's Songkran and they are making an early start !!? Lol

Sorry, deleted, double posted by mistake - the wifi is crap here so far today :-(

Man you're not kidding FH, I've just arrived at the Tarntawan after what was more like a canoe trip than a taxi drive from the airport. Accidents galore, rain LASHING down in true monsoon fashion, two foot deep puddles everywhere - and my taxi driver still trying to bomb along at 60 whilst also trying to watch a DVD !!! So yes it's a tad wet out there ( just stopped now actually thankfully) but the way I look at it is its songkran and I'm going to end up wet so whether its from a water pistol or my drowning in a monsoon flood it's little odds and thankfully they've as put me on the 7th floor here I should be safe enough for a while :/)

Christian I am VERY disappointed in you, I fully expected you more than anyone else on the board to have some over the top, totally over thought out, unique, failsafe system to ensure the safe dispensing of your hard earned notes, so to discover after everything you actually rely on simply looking at what money is in your hand before handing it out is I fear a bit of a slight let down and I think you're going to have to go away and give this topic some more thought perhaps as there MUST be a better way - surely ? :-)

Plus you're forgetting the chances of me actually being sober / have enough energy to sit down and write ANY reports has about as much chance as that proverbial snowballs chance in hell of happening based on past trips exploits anyway!

Anonone - just you tell you BF that you can't have too many friends in life and he shouldn't worry so :-) And yes thanks for the report Firecat - actually in your post above where you said : "In Pattaya all you have to do is smile at a boy in the Mall or a restaurant and there is a good chance he will end up in your bed" and "Sometimes they are just Horny to have Sex with a Non Thai" and "the money for the boys is as small an amount of most places in the world." I literally sat here and went MAN, I'll have to get myself to there - and then remembered I'm departing on Wednesday !! :-)) NOW you've got me in the mood, I'm literally away to start packing my case - with the usual two or three tee shirts, one pair of shorts and 201 condoms - and the "one" in case you're wondering in as when I went into the pharmacy and asked for two hundred condoms the cute guy behind the counter looked up and said "fuck me" so I said "ok then, so you'd better make that 201 !" Boom Boom ( the old ones are......still the old ones ! :-)

if you send me £20 of that English sterling you're talking about Z909 I'll be SURE to send you one of our fivers and tenners for you to keep so that you can have a good close up look - and I'm happy to do that just as many times as you'd like :=)

Have to say when I first heard about people travelling back for medical care my gut reaction was "man they have some nerve" - buggering off and living the high life when it suits them and then coming crawling back for medical care when it's all gone to shit in their lives etc, BUT I have to admit I'd never stopped to think of things being the way your guys have outlined above and I do absolutely agree with you, that's really shitty deal for someone who has contributed so much and for so long and just isn't fair or right - they should have it set up like a normal BUPA policy where as long as you keep paying in you get cover, end of ! I think i might have a different view if the person hadn't been working here nor paying in while they were away, but assuming all payments required were made and are up to date then why NOT cover your paying members ! Just doesn't seem right somehow.

Yes FH I'm fully aware he was - us poor Irish and Scots are in exactly the position re getting our bank notes accepted in England and Wales as it's always an uphill struggle. Although ( and who says you don't learn anything on these boards ! :-) on checking a detail on wikipedia re this subject before I posted I've just found the following.... "Scottish and Northern Irish banknotes are unusual, firstly because they are issued by retail banks, not central banks, and secondly, as they are not legal tender anywhere in the UK – not even in Scotland or Northern Ireland – they are in fact promissory notes. Seven retail banks have the authority of HM Treasury to issue sterling banknotes as currency. Despite this, the notes can be refused at the discretion of recipients in England and Wales, and are often not accepted by banks and exchange bureaus outside of the United Kingdom." * Source "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banknotes_of_the_pound_sterling"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banknotes_of_the_pound_sterling So there we have it, after all these years standing arguing in bars and chippy's in London at 2am that "they HAVE to take my money as it's all I've got and it IS legal tender for god sake, I mean LOOK it even says Sterling on it and EVERYTHING !" It turns out I've been wrong all along ! Oh well, you learn something new every day I guess ! :-)

Mind you ( and keeping on topic) with my being so disorganised I inevitably find some Northern Irish Sterling still lying about in my wallet when I'm in Bkk and to be fair THEY don't take it in the shops there either ! I think it's all one big conspiracy ! :-)

And woe betide you should you ever find yourself using an "Ulster Bank" £10 or £20 pound sterling note to try and pay for anything in London or half of England as they think you're from Mars and have just ran off a batch of £20's from your own printing press out in their car park or something ! :-(

I'm shocking for confusing money when in Thailand and I end up doing it several times on every trip no matter it seems how hard I try to ensure I don't. I'm oh so careful before I head out so in my hotel room I'm a "sorter" - everything into it's 100's. 500's and 1000's, the 100's at the front, the 5's after that and the 1000's folded in half and placed to the rear and in a separate compartment - so simple, I mean what could POSSIBLY go wrong with that plan I hear you ask ! Well one word - actually no two - the one word was me and the other.....beer ! It all starts out swimmingly, then some bugger in a shop or bar or motorbike asks for an amount that doesn't EXACTLY correspond to the EXACT sum of notes and the denominations I have in my wallet ( how inconsiderate of them !) and BANG, thats the start of the end, through a few beers in there and few "sure I'll stick my change in my pocket just for now and sort it later" plus a few " God I can see damn all in this club" with a few I'm too lazies and don't want to look like an asshole standing counting loads of notes in front of the waiter and having to look at each one of them like some crazed mentalist magician so I'll just give him a 1000 and the next thing BANG lo and behold I have two pockets STUFFED to over flowing with notes and my wallet in tatters as I've been half shuffling through it half heartedly thinking I might actually keep it in SOME order for a while before giving up. Actually that's one of the reasons I love being with a guy you know where you can give him a handful of 1000's before we head out and say " right you pay for everything all night and don't bother me about it" as a) you then have no bother with cash all night, B) half times he gets a better price than I do when going to pay somewhere, c) he spots the check bin scams and cons long before I even see them coming, he knows when to pay up front and NOT run tabs (* NAB for instance) or the EXACT opposite as no matter which route I take apparently it's the wrong one, then d) he LOVES the fact that he's the one being see to hold the money and is paying all night ( even though the world and his aunt knows where the money's REALLY coming from and finally e) as he know's full well you'll not ask him for the change later ( which if he's smart he'll offer back to you anyway only to be told to keep it of course like me knew all along) then he's in a great mood 24/7 and the sex is even better than normal ! So, actually taking all of the above into consideration maybe it's not such a bad thing I'm crap with money. Mind you I do recall once trying to be REALLY careful not to lose money and on going into DJ station for one of my first trips there and seeing ( and reading about) the pick pocketing ( which actually I've never actually experienced in there) I thought I'd be uber careful and stuck maybe 8000 or 10000 down the inside of my sock for safe keeping ! ( ha they'll never think to look there me thought) and no, they didn't - and neither did I again until the next day where I'd clean forgetten I'd put it there and needless to say it had worked it's way out of my sock a LONG time before that so some Thai street cleaner must have thought that Christmas come early ! So, now I've given up and just resign myself to losing a few 1000 over every trip and not having to worry about the rest now is MUCH less stressful ! :-)