I was thinking

Post by **mathusalah80** » April 16, 2012, 8:19 pm

New dictionary. Good Idea, or simply speak Enlish: YOU KNOW, I was LIKE walking along the street when I SORTA looked over and KINDA saw this, YOU KNOW motorbike that was YOU KNOW, LIKE, KINDA parked leaning against this AMAZING lamp post which was LIKE, well YOU KNOW doing an AWESOME, LIKE, YOu KNOW, job stopping the, YOU KNOW motorbike from SORTA falling over.

Post by **semperfiguy** » April 16, 2012, 8:28 pm

mathusalah80 wrote:New dictionary. Good Idea, or simply speak Enlish: YOU KNOW, I was LIKE walking along the street when I SORTA looked over and KINDA saw this, YOU KNOW motorbike that was YOU KNOW, LIKE, KINDA parked leaning against this AMAZING lamp post which was LIKE, well YOU KNOW doing an AWESOME, LIKE, YOu KNOW, job stopping the, YOU KNOW motorbike from SORTA falling over.

That KINDA conversation, YOU KNOW, SORTA makes me LIKE sick to my stomach DUDE!

You can blame it on the youth of America who have spread their ignorance to the entire world through MTV! If anyone disagrees with that then you can LIKE...go get a life MAN!

Post by **Laan Yaa Mo** » April 16, 2012, 10:16 pm

Yo' dawg...heel...heel...wot's shakin'?

I think the 'like' insertion in conversations began with young female teenagers in some valley in California. Currently, it is also popular with Canadian female teenagers.

Post by **harmonyudon** » April 22, 2012, 11:11 pm

April 7th 2012 sees the 158th Boat Race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.
First raced in 1829 The Boat Race is one of the oldest sporting events in the world.

Who did win?? Did not hear from our UM-reporter on this race????

Post by **stattointhailand** » April 23, 2012, 3:29 pm

usual mundain type of race harmony.........................

Race Report - The 2012 Xchanging Boat Race
7th Apr 2012

Possibly the most dramatic Boat Race ever

One hundred years after both crews sank; this was set to be an even more dramatic University Boat Race.

In the weeks preceding The 158th Boat Race in the series and the last to be sponsored by Xchanging, it had been Oxford who had shown the most impressive form, defeating an under 23 German crew, Leander very convincingly and Molesey Boat Club. Cambridge on the other hand didn't look so impressive against either Leander or Molesey and despite having 7.9Kg per man weight advantage went into the Race as underdogs.

Neither crew could boast a host of returning Blues, only the two Presidents; Dave Nelson bow in the Light Blue Boat and Karl Hudspith, 5 for Oxford. Cambridge's Mike Thorp also raced in 2011, vowing to grow his hair until his defeat was avenged.

Coaches Steve Trapmore, in only his second race at Cambridge, and Sean Bowden in his 14th for Oxford, both worked with international line-ups but it was Bowden who had looked and sounded more confident in the build-up to the Race.

Having enjoyed relatively benign weather in the weeks and days preceding the Race, the started overcast and drizzly with a light NE wind, and while the sun briefly appeared for the Isis/Goldie race, that was largely how it remained.

In the toss for stations it was Cambridge picking tails who chose the Surrey station, hoping to take advantage of the long bend mid-way through the Race. This entire preamble counts for nothing though in this, perhaps the most dramatic of all Boat Races.

Off the start it was Oxford who looked slicker at 44 strokes a minutes, slightly over-rating Cambridge and taking an early ¼ length lead. They couldn’t break an indomitable Cambridge crew however, who had won the toss and chosen the Surrey station.

By the Mile Post which was reached in a fast time of 3 minutes 42 seconds the dark blues still only had the narrowest of leads and as the two crews settled into their racing rhythms and with continual warnings from the umpires launch to “move apart” there was no advantage to either.

And this was how the race proceeded with neither crew giving any quarter, Oxford holding on around the outside of the Surrey bend but unable to move away from the light blues as they raced under Hammersmith Bridge and on towards Chiswick Eyot. With the wind now behind them and both crews showing great heart and determination it was shaping up to be a truly fantastic race.

And then suddenly with Oxford primed to put in a push on the outside of the bend turning into the Crossing, Oxford cox Zoe De Toledo shot her hand in the air to be followed quickly by John Garrett the Umpire waving his red flag stopping the race. Amid some confusion on the river a swimmer who would have been mown down by the flotilla of following boats if the race had continued, was spotted between the two crews. Later Garrett explained how his assistant umpire Sir Matthew Pinsent had spotted the swimmer and that there was absolutely no choice but to stop the Race.

After 20 minutes Garrett (who had disqualified Isis in 1990) got the Race restarted, but it was cold and uncomfortable for the crews, needing to maintain their composure in very bouncy water while boats swarmed around them. Nothing like this had happened in the history of The Boat Race, but the drama was to continue after the restart. With a free start towards the bottom of Chiswick Eyot Oxford were off sharply again slipping out to a ¼ length lead in the first few strokes.

Then just 35 seconds into the restarted race Oxford on the outside of the bend were continuously warned to move away from Cambridge. This they failed to do and a clash was inevitable. A clash in which the Dark Blues came out the worst and which cost them the race as Hanno Weinhausen six in the Oxford crew emerged from it with no spoon on the end of his blade.

Effectively the Race was over and Cambridge moved steadily away from the 7 man Oxford crew over the next few minutes to win by 4 and a quarter lengths, times to be confirmed.

Despite the Oxford crew’s appeal at the end of the Race Umpire Garrett declared Cambridge the winner. But the drama wasn’t quite over Alex Woods Oxford’s bow man had collapsed after crossing the finish line and was lying unconscious in the boat, having given everything to prevent his team’s loss. Cambridge President David Nelson seemed bemused and described the Race in his laconic fashion as “pretty dramatic” while expressing his concern for his Dark Blue rival.

Race Umpire John Garrett explained his decision to allow the race to continue after the clash, “Crews have to abide by their accidents. I was warning Oxford at the time of the clash, as they were off station. I was comfortable Cambridge were in the right place on the river, so it was right and within the rules to allow the Race to continue.”

After the Race there was no presentation ceremony as both sides showed their concern for Woods who was taken to Charing Cross hospital immediately afterwards, where he was recovering well a short time later.

This was a truly dramatic afternoon of sport, one in which the Umpire was adjudged to have made all the correct decisions in an unprecedented race, and in which many people probably didn’t notice that Ed Bosson had become the youngest ever winning Cambridge cox.

In the reserves race earlier in the day Isis (Oxford) beat Goldie (Cambridge) by 5 lengths, setting a new record for this event with a time of 16 minutes 41 seconds.

Report by Peter McConnell

Post by **harmonyudon** » April 23, 2012, 4:06 pm

@stattointhailand,

Post by **parrot** » April 24, 2012, 11:13 am

I need a sanity check. Two examples of otherwise many occurrences: Toolpro - price on shelf says 72 baht, cashier rings up 90 baht. I politely tell her it's 72, she politely tells me it's 90. I ask her to check. Four people, lots of walking around, and 10 minutes later, the problem is resolved and I'm given 18 baht.
Tesco - corn, marked 9 baht each but special offer 2 pieces for 15 baht. I buy 2. The person in the veggie department puts an 18 baht sticker on the bag. I politely tell her it's 15 baht. She checks the shelf (it's 15 baht), reenters the bar code and it again rings up 18 baht. She checks with another worker, reenters the code, then another worker who reenters the code, then tells me to wait and she disappears for a few minutes. I walk over to a management pow-wow going on in the corner and ask the manager for help. He directs one of his senior cashiers to help and she manages to ring up the correct price. All told, about 10 minutes later, I get the 2 pieces of corn for 15 baht. I leave with a wai and a smile.

Maybe I'm spoiled from the US, where if you tell the cashier that the rung up price is incorrect, they can usually correct it on the spot, or they'll just enter the price you tell them without further checking (I've had this happen on many an occasion back in the US).

After yesterday's Lotus incident, I left wondering: I'm retired and have all the time in the world. Is it worth my time to get what I deserve or should I just walk out and write off the few baht difference? And if that's the case, when is a few baht a few baht and not a lot of baht? I haven't been here too long (only 15 years), and I can take just about anything that Thailand can dish out. But if I find out I'm the only falang in Udon hunting down a few extra baht, I'll cease and desist and write off the difference to charity. Comments/criticism welcome.

Post by **fatbob** » April 24, 2012, 11:30 am

If your a man of principal then don't change, why should you pay more than the advetised price?

These big companys like Tesco can rake up huge extra profits by over charging small ammounts to millions of customers daily.

Pride and Principle, f---em.

Post by **daxbr** » April 24, 2012, 11:41 am

In the US now and similar thing happened to me last night.

At cash register in local supermarket, a kid that looks like Trayvon Martin (current picture, not the 5 yo one) was scanning my groceries. Noticed on register screen, he charged me $1.49 per pound of tomatoes instead of $0.79. Since there were only 4 tomatoes, I waited till he gave me receipt and casually mentioned tomato price is different "but don't worry about it". Blank stare on his face in reply turning into disdain and aggravation.

Got home and mentioned the incident to my Thai friend. "But honey, he did charge you more for tomatoes but never charged you for fish.

Post by **parrot** » April 24, 2012, 11:58 am

My brother was staying at a nice hotel in TX for our daughter's wedding. After the festivities, I picked him up at the hotel to take him to the airport. I asked if he checked out okay......he said 'yes', but mentioned a $27 overnight parking fee tacked on to his bill. He didn't have a car/rental. He brushed it off and said 'no problem'. I walked up to the counter, mentioned the discrepancy to the staff, and without a moment of hesitation, she removed the charge from my brother's bill. It's the typical (IMO) 'keep the customer happy' mantra of big business back in the US.

For daxbr: assuming you bought more than $0.70 worth of fish, you got the better end of the deal.

Post by **Ray.Charles** » April 24, 2012, 12:39 pm

John: You are too forgiving; satisfied only with a "no problem". I would have expected a sincere apology for the wrong charge.
Also, where I was living, if the computer at the checkout overcharged compared to the posted price, you get the item for free or at a large discount.
But, in Thailand, I practice being laid-back because I have high blood pressure

Post by **jackspratt** » April 24, 2012, 12:40 pm

I am surprised that supermarkets in the US (or the various states) don't have a similar system to Australia, where if the item scans a more expensive price at the checkout than marked on the shelf, the first item is free, and any others (same barcode) are at the shelf price.

I realise there is a fair way to go before this reaches Thailand.

ps just saw Ray's post - seemingly some US states do.

Post by **parrot** » April 24, 2012, 1:14 pm

I suppose there's hope.....not so many years ago, returning an item for refund to places like Big C and Makro was near impossible. It's still not as easy as in the US, but there's progress. Maybe those college graduate cashiers will be allowed more responsibility in the future.

Post by **Ray.Charles** » April 24, 2012, 1:48 pm

Ease of return is itself a competitive criterion, at least, in the northeastern U.S. where I lived. The stores typically have an area by the entrance door for the reurns. If you have the receipt, you get cash or credit back; if you do not have the receipt (lost or got it as a gift), they will read the bar code, and give you store credit.

Post by **semperfiguy** » April 24, 2012, 7:04 pm

This has happened to me twice at Global House, most recently on 42 square meters of tile that I was purchasing. The posted price was 169 baht per sq. meter, yet the computer rang up 175 as I checked out. When I called her on the disparity in the price, the cashier gave me that "blank stare...go to hell look" and insisted that the price would be whatever is in the computer, which just infuriated me to no end. I asked to see her supervisor, and she gave me the same answer. I asked to see her supervisor and then the store manager, but according to her they were not in. I let her know that I was a long standing customer of Global House, having spent a good bit of money in the past two years, and I would pay the 175 if she insisted, but I would not be back and she would have to explain that to her manager after I write him a letter and tell him how I have been treated. I sat for 20 minutes while she made phone calls, and she finally came back and said that she would have to print out the invoice at the price listed on the computer and then pay the difference for me out of her personal pocket. What a crock of BS! I completed my transaction, left the store and went straight home to lodge a complaint by email to Global House in Udon. When I returned a week later to arrange for delivery to my home after my order arrived, the now sweet supervisor said that her manager was pleased to waive the delivery charges.

My wife says that the small amount of savings wasn't worth the trouble and that most stores don't make any effort to correct the mistakes. She says most Thais just pay the extra to avoid the hassle and the stores make the extra money off customer apathy. So, I say continue to take a stand against this sort of thing, and maybe the idea that sometimes "principle is more important than money" will perhaps influence a few of the locals for the good.

Post by **randerson79** » April 24, 2012, 8:27 pm

I was at the new Tesco more than 6 months ago. The shelf was out of hamburger buns again. I asked one of the ladies in the bakery if they had any in back. Another older lady comes out and states they do not have and never will have again. To my dismay I ask why. The answer was..... The manager is tired of people complaining that they are out of hamburger buns.

How could I respond to that? I smiled and said ok. And they never had them since.

Post by **semperfiguy** » April 24, 2012, 9:28 pm

randerson79 wrote:I was at the new Tesco more than 6 months ago. The shelf was out of hamburger buns again. I asked one of the ladies in the bakery if they had any in back. Another older lady comes out and states they do not have and never will have again. To my dismay I ask why. The answer was..... The manager is tired of people complaining that they are out of hamburger buns. How could I respond to that? I smiled and said ok. And they never had them since.

Now that sounds soooooooo Thai! Reminds me of the large basket shop at the Indo-China Market in Nong Khai. Me and the wife were stopped at the entrance and told we couldn't go inside. If we saw something in the store that we liked, the clerk said he would bring it out for us to look at it! WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!! We just walked on.

Last week I attempted to enter a hardware store in the Nong Bua market and was chased out from within by three ferocious guard dogs before I got two feet inside the shop (and no...it wasn't the middle of the night). The owner came out with a cane pole in her hand as if she wanted to kill me for screaming at her dogs as they were preparing to eat me alive. My wife says she was only trying to protect me. Yea right!!! Try to figure that one out!

Sometimes I feel like I'm caught up in a bad dream and I can't wake up!!!!!!!!!!!!

Post by **randerson79** » April 24, 2012, 9:48 pm

You have just got to think about all the goods things here. Makes the hamburger buns problem look funny. And they were not that good anyway.

Post by **harmonyudon** » April 25, 2012, 12:27 pm

If a manager/boss of a restaurant in Udon ordered a waitress
to clean a full filthy ashtray on an outside terrace table with
4 guests drinking beers and smoking and on the table there were also
some empty bottles of beers and 4 full ones and the waitress only did
what she was told to do.

She walked to the table and clean the ashtray behind the bar inside,
walked back put the clean ashtray on the terrace table but did not take the
empty bottles. She clearly saw that these bottles on the corner of the table
were empty.....

Is she a robot?

Post by **merchant seaman** » April 25, 2012, 2:56 pm

Thai restaurants/bars almost always leave the empty bottles on the table or the cart next to the table to avoid any disputes when the bill arrives on how many beers were drunk.