joekicker

How strange, I've never heard of such a thing. All through Thailand but especially in Bangkok, trains run through (slum) villages, with people living a metre from the tracks. That would be a very unattractive way to die, leaping under a train that's probably going about 8km an hour, yuck. Was this a fairly open area, trains at speed? .

If you do it right now, you can probably beat the bookies out of a tidy sum, Vic. .

GIYF

Same as yours but. But I'm worried about the Sharks turning into, you know, the Sharks. I think Philly is the real turn-around team, they got better in every game as the Buffalo series went on. I still think as I said at the start that Philly can definitely regain it. Still, if the Caps want it, they can have it. Do they? (And this, from a guy who said the East doesn't match the West, which it doesn't overall.) .

But WHY are you so sure? Put like that ^^ in your post, it just sounds like an irrational conspiracy theory. You're in a very, very tiny minority. Extraordinary claims require... well, SOME proof surely? .

There's an informative thread with facts and stuff on this, in a forum... lessee, if I can remember, oh, right, the forum at Pattayatalk.com People jump off high buildings because they are there. In Hong Kong it is THE number one form of suicide, for example. In the US, the gun is a common suicide tool, guess why? And so on. The information is out there. Oh, and it is not "farang" who jump off balconies. Thais jump off buildings. You don't have to do the research, if you've a real curiosity, go and FIND the research, read up on it. You could start right in this forum, move on to find more real, actual research. So long as you're not afraid to adjust your scepticism and beliefs as you take in new facts and research. .

Five minutes gone in the first period: Is there a rule against Montreal using a real goalie? .

bugger

Nang Nual is good, although better for dinner. It's best out on the deck, and the deck can be pretty warm at lunch. Frankly, for a female lunch, I'd go to a hotel. Dusit is reliable, or go up the hill and eat at Royal Cliff. Personally, I've always liked the Amari Orchid on the corner there, one of the original Pattaya hotels and usually good knosh. .

Penguins are lounging around watching a good hockey game again. According to the programme, they were supposed to be playing in it. I guess they're going to take the whole week off. .

Got a kick out of an actual one in the Province: Luongo weeps tonight. The story is on the Chicago radio station that has put out this The Lion Sleeps Tonight parody. Twisting the original lyrics to the classic by Soloman Linda, the 'Wimoweh' becomes 'One win away,' and the 'In the jungle the lion sleeps tonight' becomes "In the Madhouse Luongo weeps tonight.' You can listen to it here. .

... followed by FREE Aussie Tucker-Pies, Snag Sangers, Hot Girls!! I had the honour of walking in an Anzac Day parade when in Australia. Then a few beers and comradeship with many, many comrades. I remember that and always will. .

No, that is not what is honoured or celebrated on Veterans' Day in the US. However, the ignorance around such events as ANZAC Day and the US Veterans' Day, and their tacky, tasteless "sales" such as hot girls and money-grubbing business as usual definitely is growing. Excuse me, but I won't be celebrating the Pattaya sales on hot girls or the US sales on hot bargains. These are weak-spined, dreadful people trying to cash in on the achievements, losses and sacrifices of others. No way I'd try to interfere with with tasteless and ultimately cowardly actions - after all, that's their rights, and what veterans fought for. I'd like them just a little bit better if they'd admit they are the crass, tasteless and back-stabbing tinkers and petty peddlers that they are, that's all. .

Just gone to OT as I type. Intriguing game. You never get the idea that Chicago SHOULD win but they really hang in there. They are definitely a better team than their regular season finish. It'd be a real laugh if they take this series - which they really, actually might (but probably won't). Vancouver can't really bring themselves to bully, and that will hurt them going ahead. Philly, you see once in a while little flashes of the bully, enough to hold them in there, IMO. Buffalo tried to baffle them with speed and finesse, Philly was having none of that. Flyers're a lot better than they were a month, two months ago, but not real Cup material, not yet but they show real good flashes. .

San Jose is being San Jose to the end, I guess. Which will be this week, I guess. But how about them Preds making me look like a loser (again) agin the Ducks. I don't think anyone expected that. Nashville on the edge of being capital of the WORLD. Grizzlies win their first playoff ever, Preds have a chance to take their first series ever - AND country music. All they need is MLB to be perfect, I guess. .

Don't want to argue with that, but this was the most riveting and easy-to-watch series of the eight. Real old-time playoff hockey, all out, up and down, non-stop. A real barn-burner of a series, sorry to see it end before seven. .

Eee-oo, what's that smell!?! Oh my, it's the Pens, stinking up the joint. Seldom in the history of hockey has a team looked that bad. The Lightning were focussed, on game, sharp and crisp. The Pens? They were up in the stands, watching a good team. The Pittsburgh fans game them a HUGE cheer when they scored almost halfway through the third period, cutting the score to a mere 7-1. Although I must say, the game wasn't really that close. What the hey? Amazing, the way a whole team can lose it like that in Game 5 perpetesake. .

I am unsurprised. Chicago is way better than their regular season finish. I don't buy that Vancouver is losing, I think Chicago is winning. Chicago is one team that can win it all. I think Vancouver would have a fabulous chance if they played on paper - but not on the ice. I can't understand how they lost that game, they were so superior. That was travesty, worst loss of the post-season so far, I'd say. The opposite of Vancover-Chicago in my opinion, that was a game where the Canadiens lost, rather than Boston won. .

The hot season is barely ending at the start of June, there's not much rain - in an average year of course, any individual year, who knows? It's always hot and humid in Pattaya -- well, pretty much always. Low season, yes, but there will still be lots of tourists and, as always, darn few bargains - it's Pattaya. .

Also on goalie pads and sticks, I guess. Talk about not living up to expectations, jeez. Credit the Wings, man - that playoff light comes on, and here they come. The Caps are impressive. Looks like they WANT to win. We shall see. .

Different kind of design effup. I have to say that the construction of the airport link was almost invisible, hardly ever interfered with traffic. But the finished product makes a white elephant look attractive. The taxpayers will eat billions and more billions on this thing. In my nightmares, I see "officials" pouring more money down the rat hole to "fix" it. Best just to run it for airport staff, and let any tourists on who want to use it. Fixing it would be pretty much impossible, now. .

Like the old Everly Brothers song - All I Have to Do is Dream .

You couldn't if you wanted to. The world decided people of the US were Americans. If not, they wouldn't be no matter how much the people of the US tried to grab it. Everyone calls them Americans, and generally calls the US "America". There's North and South America, there's Central America, there's the United Mexican States, there are all kinds of Adjective Americans. Everyone is agreed on that, and in pretty well every language that matters, too - not JUST Thai but including Thai. The Thai for "United States" is not "United States" or "US", that's the English. Thais say "Saha Rath" and they understand fine that it is the US. If you say I am from Saha Rath, that's a perfect alternative to I am from America. They understand both, just like most people in the world. But in the main they didn't want it. There was (is) that "norte americano" thing but that is pure irony. "Norte americano" is ALSO just for people of the US, and not Mexicans and not Canadians. For that matter, so is gringo only for Americans. As a side note, though, "America" is a (fairly) popular girl's name for Hispanics. .

Buster: Who is Ping? .

Good stuff rick, nice quality. thanks.