Newsgroups and mailing lists
aside from the often interesting soc.culture.thai asfo has a good group of members who are married to or otherwise involved with asian females.
Regular funny stories. Advice on what Not to do in Bangkok, Angeles, VN and Cambodia freely offered.
A rougher (less polite) crowd can be found on the bulletin board Here
Internet and Computers
For a complete list of Thai based ISPs with prices see the
Thai Internet Users group
They do testing and put out quality and service reports. Frequent updates.
If you're wondering what we pay for hardware over here in Bangkok then
Bangkokcom is the place to look. Run by a very nice but crazy upgrade addict.
Pirated software CDs are 100-300 baht (less than $10 US). But these of course are only used for evaluation purposes for a short time (till next version comes out, usually).
An (incomplete) list of what may be available is Here. Don't bother me (or them) with requests. Come to Bangkok if you want something.
Bangkok police recently seized 17,000 pirate CDs at the infamous Panthip Plaza. Rumors that these were actually old unsalable 100 baht versions and porno with ugly girls were vigorously denied.
Timestamp: December 25, 1998
What the Thai language newspapers say?
From: ThaiBuzz (a translated digest, sometimes interesting)
1012-03 UUNET reportedly close in a buy-in deal with Samart's CyberNet. ** A
Samart Corporation spin off Samart Infonet said it has agreed to sell up to 49
per cent of shares in the Internet service network CyberNet to an
International giant which is among the world's top ten in the Internet service
providing industry.
Though failing to name the name, industry sources said the company in the deal
with Samart Group is likely to be the US UUNET. Timestamp: October 12, 1998 Haven't seen any followup on this yet but a search at The Nation revealed the
following:
Abstract: US-based ISP seeks licence for Thailand. Date: 6/9/98. Publication:
The Nation. Section:
Technology. UUNET, a US-based Internet Service Provider, is asking the
Communications Authority of
Thailand (CAT) for a licence to provide Internet services to corporate users
in Thailand, according to an
executive.
Abstract: UUNet delays plan for Thailand. Date: 8/4/98. Publication: The
Nation. Section: Technology.
AN application from US-based Internet service provider UUNet for a licence to
provide Internet services
in Thailand has not yet been approved by the Communications Authority of
Thailand, forcing the firm to
delay its plan to... Well, its *One* way to get a license. Possibly the only way to get one
quickly. Later...
Samart eventually revealed that 49% of its Internet business was purchased by a European telecom 'giant'. An AltaVista search for the 'giant' came up with a homepage with very little information and the email address of an asia-pacific manager who honestly had no idea what I was referring to when questioned about it.
Is this real or just a PR gimmick? This is Thailand and I really don't know.
Timestamp: December 23, 1998
If you need information on Thailand The Nation has a much better
search engine, and a nicer site,
than the Bangkok Post (hosted by
Samart). Though I prefer the Post to sit down and read.
In the Post Database Dawson has some very, very funny
comments in the world and local reviews. "The insensitive, mainstream, Microsoft-dominated, PC-obsessed,
anti-Apple press reported demeaningly from MacWorld in San
Francisco that the iMac will now come in five new colours: red,
purple, orange, green and original teal; the sensitive, caring,
humanitarian media correctly reported the colours were
strawberry, blueberry, tangerine, grape and lime..." I get them Email every week. Timestamp: October 23, 1998
This funny story was Posted on soc.culture.thai by RawBear
soc.culture.thai has Many funny stories, plus wars, flames and lots of politics
No More Soap, Please...
The following letters are taken from an actual incident between the
(very expensive) Westin Hotel in Chiang Mai (where Elizabeth Taylor
spends her time between marriages) and one of it's guests. The Hotel
ended up submitting the letters to the Chiangmai Gazette.
Dear Maid,
Please do not leave any more of those little bars of soap in my
bathroom since I have brought my own bath-sized Dial. Please remove
the six unopened little bars from the shelf under the medicine chest
and another three in the shower soap dish. They are in my way.
Thank you,
S. Berman
Dear Room 635,
I am not your regular maid. She will be back tomorrow, Thursday,
from her day off. I took the 3 hotel soaps out of the shower soap dish
as you requested. The 6 bars on your shelf I took out of your way and
put on top of your Kleenex dispenser in case you should change your
mind. This leaves only the 3 bars I left today which my
instructions from the management is to leave 3 soaps daily. I hope
this is satisfactory.
Kathy,
Relief Maid
Dear Maid - I hope you are my regular maid.
Apparently Kathy did not tell you about my note to her concerning
the little bars of soap. When I got back to my room this evening I
found you had added 3 little Camays to the shelf under my medicine
cabinet. I am going to be here in the hotel for two weeks and have
brought my own bath-size Dial so I won't need those 6 little Camays
which are on the shelf. They are in my way when shaving, brushing
teeth, etc. Please remove them.
S. Berman
Dear Mr. Berman,
My day off was last Wed. so the relief maid left 3 hotel soaps
which we are instructed by the management. I took the 6 soaps which
were in your way on the shelf and put them in the soap dish where your
Dial was. I put the Dial in the medicine cabinet for your convenience.
I didn't remove the 3 complimentary soaps which are always placed
inside the medicine cabinet for all new check-ins and which you
did not object to when you checked in last Monday.
Please let me know if I can of further assistance.
Your regular maid,
Pawn
Dear Mr. Berman,
The assistant manager, Mr. Kensedder, informed me this morning
that you called him last evening and said you were unhappy with your
maid service. I have assigned a new girl to your room. I hope you will
accept my apologies for any past inconvenience. If you have any future
complaints please contact me so I can give it my personal attention.
Call extension 1108 between 8AM and 5PM.Thank you.
Nok Pittayul
Housekeeper
Dear Miss Pittayul,
It is impossible to contact you by phone since I leave the hotel
for business at 7:45 AM and don't get back before 5:30 or 6PM. That's
the reason I called Mr. Kensedder last night. You were already off
duty. I only asked Mr. Kensedder if he could do anything about those
little bars of soap. The new maid you assigned me must have thought
I was a new check-in today, since she left another 3 bars of hotel
soap in my medicine cabinet along with her regular delivery of 3 bars
on the bath-room shelf. In just 5 days here I have accumulated 24
little bars of soap. Why are you doing this to me?
S. Berman
Dear Mr. Berman,
Your maid, Kathy, has been instructed to stop delivering soap to
your room and remove the extra soaps. If I can be of further
assistance, please call extension 1108 between 8AM and 5PM.Thank you,
Nok Pittayul,
Housekeeper
Dear Mr. Kensedder,
My bath-size Dial is missing. Every bar of soap was taken from my
room including my own bath-size Dial. I came in late last night and
had to call the bellhop to bring me 4 little Cashmere Bouquets.
S. Berman
Dear Mr. Berman,
I have informed our housekeeper, Elaine Carmen, of your soap problem.
I cannot understand why there was no soap in your room since our maids
are instructed to leave 3 bars of soap each time they service a room.
The situation will be rectified immediately. Please accept my
apologies for the inconvenience.
Martin L. Kensedder
Assistant Manager
Dear Mrs. Pittayul,
Who the hell left 54 little bars of Camay in my room? I came in
last night and found 54 little bars of soap. I don't want 54 little
bars of Camay. I want my one damn bar of bath-size Dial. Do you
realize I have 54 bars of soap in here. All I want is my bath size
Dial. Please give me back my bath-size Dial.
S. Berman
Dear Mr. Berman,
You complained of too much soap in your room so I had them removed.
Then you complained to Mr. Kensedder that all your soap was missing so
I personally returned them. The 24 Camays which had been taken and the
3 Camays you are supposed to receive daily. I don't know anything
about the 4 Cashmere Bouquets. Obviously your maid, Kathy, did not
know I had returned your soaps so she also brought 24 Camays plus the
3 daily Camays. I don't know where you got the idea this hotel issues
bath-size Dial. I was able to locate some bath-size Ivory which I left
in your room.
Nok Pittayul
Housekeeper
Dear Mrs. Pittayul,
Just a short note to bring you up-to-date on my latest soap inventory.
As of today I possess:
On the shelf under medicine cabinet - 18 Camay in 4 stacks of 4 and 1
stack of 2.
On the Kleenex dispenser - 11 Camay in 2 stacks of 4 and 1 stack of 3.
On the bedroom dresser - 1 stack of 3 Cashmere Bouquet, 1 stack of 4
hotel-size Ivory, and 8 Camay in 2 stacks of 4.
Inside the medicine cabinet - 14 Camay in 3 stacks of 4 and 1 stack of
2.
In the shower soap dish - 6 Camay, very moist.
On the northeast corner of tub - 1 Cashmere Bouquet, slightly used.
On the northwest corner of tub - 6 Camays in 2 stacks of 3.
Please ask Kathy when she services my room to make sure the stacks are
neatly piled and dusted. Also, please advise her that stacks of more
than 4 have a tendency to tip. May I suggest that my bedroom window
sill is not in use and will make an excellent spot for future soap
deliveries.
One more item, I have purchased another bar of bath-sized Dial which I
am keeping in the hotel vault in order to avoid further
misunderstandings.
S. Berman
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Thai Shop & Restaurant "Chiang Mai"
| Havenstraat 18-20, Hilversum (NL)
| e-mail NL: thaifood@wxs.nl
| e-mail TH: rawbear@chmai.loxinfo.co.th
| websites: http://bangkok.com/thaifood
| (Dutch): http://members.xoom.com/adri_vormaat
| Phone/Fax: ++ 31 35 6248191 / GSM ++ 31 6 51609591
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
