Just a week and Thai logic
When it comes to Christmas I always get a certain feeling. Not annoying or vague or anything. It must have to do with the changing of the seasons and the impressions Sinterklaas and Christmas made on you as a child. Apparently it's deep in your genes. The month of December was a month that you looked forward to as a child and that was always 'cosy'.
A typical Dutch word: 'gezellig'. I once understood that it is a word that only Dutch people know what it means. Maybe Sanuk or Sabai will come close?
Snow
There is now snow in various places in the Netherlands, especially in the north of the country. The changes of the seasons are beautiful. Not only nature, but also the shop windows are beautifully decorated and the Zwarte Pieten appear in the shops. Excited children hold up their hands for gingerbread cookies and sweets. Hot chocolate is distributed to shoppers, it tastes exquisite.
I hate wet and inclement weather. But a clear day below freezing can charm me. Lovely to take a walk in the woods. Then eat a salty herring on the market, then in front of the fireplace with an Irish coffee or with friends in the warm pub.
Feast
Good news out Thailand this week. The King appeared in public. His birthday is coming up on December 5. It will undoubtedly be a festive event.
It was nice that I received the necessary articles for Thailand blog this week, I could take it a bit easier. Thanks everyone. In addition to going through email, I also make time to call and skype with friends and acquaintances in Thailand.
Tenglish
In the weekend I have the time to talk quietly with one of my sources of inspiration, a lady who lives in Isaan. Besides the fact that I can practice and maintain my Tenglish, always useful when you are in Thailand, she provides me with the necessary ideas to write about. That is not done consciously, but during the conversations the topics pop into my head. In addition, it is wonderful relaxation because she has an incredible sense of humor so it is always a laugh on the phone.
It is also instructive to experience the cultural differences. The prejudices she has towards farang always strike me. Just like the frustrated farang who respond to Thailandblog. Generalizing and prejudices, well the Thai are also good at it and often it's about the same thing. Like: all the farang are rich and they are 'Butterfly man'. Welcome to the world of short-sightedness. But it is precisely when I contradict her that funny discussions arise that I enjoy intensely. I do see the humor in it, although I am always surprised.
Sister has boyfriend
Last week she told me her sister had a boyfriend. The conversation went as follows.
She: “My sister go to post office today”. Peter: "Oh, why?" She: “she has boyfriend”. Peter: “Oh, nice. Falang men?” She: “No, Thai men”.
Peter: “A good Thai man?” She: “Yes, good man”. Peter: “Okay, good, but why she go to post office?” She: “Him send money for my sister”. Peter: “Aha, yes I understand”.
Peter: “How much did he send?” She: “500 baht”. Peter: “Oh, that's not much”. She: “No, him not work. But him play lottery”. Peter: "Oh, sure!"
Why go to work when you can play the lottery. Thai logic.
After such a conversation I walk around with a big smile on my face. What a wonderful country!
The combination of the words 'Thai' and 'logic' in the subject caught my immediate interest. 'In Thailand, apply logic to any given situation, and you will end up getting it wrong.'
That's right. The lack of any logic is also the charm of the country. But you have to have a lot of patience and understanding…..
because in this webcafe a gpoois poop-R brewing lady is just calling NL (hard-isn't it 3/4 o'clock in the night there?) and who again doesn't seem to know the difference between the A and the AA ( you take a bath, but here you pay with BAAHT-well, old school teacher he-and then also worked in Brabant once) my mood is not so good.
so the schoolmaster: MEN is Thai for stench, and yes, so do farang (at least the average Thai who typically thinks in all stereotypes thinks so). IN English, the real one, man is plural and man is singular. So this Thai lady is so lucky that she has now hit 3-4 gentlemen playing the "lotteree taay din=underground"? Now that's choke dee - even better than a lucky ticket.
PS-the lucky numbers for next week are already being tracked en masse in those wat in bangKoLhaem here in BKK where 2000+ fetuses have been found.
(or if you are still looking for topics for a blog about real Thai life: that lotteree madness, the corruption and bribery around it, the taay din = underground version, the 2 and 3 lotto-like numbers set by Taksin ONLINE (immediately because of supposed corruption called off by the military who deposed him) and the huge tricks the Thai can wriggle to win that lotteree, whatever - Hilltribe people who spend up to 60/70% of their meager income on it.
When I once asked why my neighbor spent her hard-earned money on the lottery, she said very wisely “If you already have everything, you don't have to play the lottery anymore”. She therefore assumed that she did not yet have “everything”. Trying to explain again that she has it pretty good compared to many others in the world and that I don't have "everything" compared to many others in the world.
Apparently this logic was also not understood…. not even by my wife who still plays the lottery. Unfortunately she wins every now and then, so my logic that it only costs money doesn't work, according to her.
Unfortunately she wins every now and then, so my logic that it only costs money doesn't work, according to her.
I don't think your logic is very good either;
Won in the Thai lottery;
3 x 4.000 baht
2 x 200.000 baht
It would only really make sense if you also told us how much you had to 'invest' for that every year. 😉
Also logical: casinos and lotteries collect more than they pay out. The chance that it will cost you money is therefore greater than that it will make you money.
robert,
2 raffle tickets per month at 100 baht
draw 1st and 16th of the month.
a little calculation shows that it will cost 2400 baht per year.
Been here for 3 years now so 7200 baht
400.000 + 12.000 = 412.000 baht
So net 412.000 – 7200 = 404.800 baht won.
I can play with 2 lottery tickets every month for about 168 years
Well, apparently some Thai people also see playing in the lottery as a form of work. Shows that they have a lot of confidence in it.
Life is 1 big lottery, so far I can go along with it 😉
KeesP.
I have my own money for all draws by putting the money in 1 drawer and taking it out after the draw.
This is how I was able to convince many Thai not to play .
With patience I managed to explain to them that there is only 100 prize for every 1 numbers.
In your case it may be luck, whatever happened to me in the state lottery I won 100.000 guilders but I had received that lottery ticket.
At that moment I started to calculate because 25.000 .- guilders tax was immediately deducted, so I started protesting.
Later it was so-called tax-free, what many did not realize was that the prices of 50.000 .- had disappeared.
The player is the loser again .
Here I happened to see 1 plate being picked up from the drinks lottery yesterday, coincidentally the bottles of liquor were still on it, I was not allowed to take a picture.
The lots were almost all sold.
Hello Peter Kuhn,
last week I read on your blog that there is or will be a ferry service from Pattaya to Hua Hin.
where can i find more about this service on the internet?
thanks in advance for the effort.
m.f.gr.Ton
The Ferry operates a regular schedule of three crossings per week.
Wed, Fri and Sun The crossing takes about 3:15h Departing from Pattaya 08:30 from Hua Hin 13:30
It is quite pricey, a return is 3.000 baht pp.
http://www.thailivingferry.com/
Another piece of Thai logic…
A few years ago we rented an elderly fishing boat from Pattaya for a day of fishing.
In the afternoon, on the way home, the wind picks up more and more and the engine stops...
through my Thai girlfriend as an interpreter: What's going on?
Clutch defective..I offer my motorcycle knowledge and dive with the “”captain””
at the bottom of the ship. It is scorching hot and dirty.
A few bolts have fallen out of the coupling so no connection to the screw.
After 1 1/2 hours of toil with a few rusty pieces of poorly fitting tools, we can slowly return to Pattaya.
We arrive in the dark with a delay of 2 1/2 hours.
When I get out I expect a grateful token or a thank you.
The skipper holds out his hand and says: Please tip Sir…
That is also Thailand but you are welcome anyway. I like some adventure…
Frank