atlas2

Living in London and going to the Marquee from '67 onwards I've seen them all. Well all the ones I wanted to see including Hendrix.Clapton,Page,Beck,Green, Lee,Rory,Kossof........to Stan Web (Chicken Shack] and Mick Abrahams... [blodwyn Pig]. What I love about The Blues Factory is the sound set up. They've had the time to perfect it. If you want to hear echoes of all those guitarists......apart from the last 2........in perfect 2011 sound quality ........Well I've never heard better. ..............Er this Jam night..........I've got a guitar.........do I actually need to be able to

I watched all night...fascinated crossing and uncrossing fingers. Great entertainment.

This is more or less the advice I gave my son........ play one opening as white and keep to it and learn a defence to a `King pawn and one for Queen pawn openings....I gave him the only chess book that I'd kept when I left England. I t was the only book I found really useful ''Logical Chess Move By Move''......My son's on 100 GBPs when he beats me. Chess is the only game I will never just 'let' him beat me at..... the money has kept him interested. I'm clinging on forgetting stuff faster than he learns it. I hope I'll be handing over the money his next trip over......He's 12 now. I'm so

To follow up. After trying a few Epiphone Les Pauls and SGs, Fender Squires,Mexican Fenders,Real Fenders.........Plus a number of cheapos........... I came across an Atlas Elegant. These are handmade in Thailand and are of good quality,both in looks... Les Paul copy...... and sound. The guitar,fender amp lead and headphones cost me 17,500 baht. I've been blasting out Kashmir in 'DADGAD' tuning ever since.

An excellent new list...........I know a lot of the old ones and only checked this out by chance. Thanks

The biggest chess event in Asia is at the Dusit Hotel from Monday. The details can be found on the Bangkok chess clubs web-site. Starts 11 tomorrow. 50 GMs will be there. Goes on 'til Thursday ....I think. I'm gonna pop in ......there's a book I want that might be there..... I gave the copy I had to my son.... Watch some games.......Give 'em a few tips. I'll report back tomorrow.

What with the Champion's league matches at 2 a.m on Tuesday and Wednesday and now the Masters my sleep patterns are pretty disrupted. My own fault I know. Last night I found myself getting irrationally irritated with Wood's gestures of self-disgust to the gallery whenever he played what ended up as only a 'good' shot........as though 'merely good' is beneath The Tiger. When I realised that 'a' I'm tired and grumpy and 'b' the cameras follow EVERYTHING Woods does. They lovingly, slavishly cover his EVERY move. EVERY shot EVERY reaction EVERY hole. Only the leading pair get a similar bl

I just love Luke Donald's swing...........Pure poetry in motion. Mine's more like poultry in motion. I'd like Donald to win it. But anyone from evens up has a shot.............

I've looked into a company called, spookily enough 'ATLAS', guitars handmade in Thailand. I will be comparing to Fender Squire, Epiphone and Mexican Fenders. Let you know.

Jewish lightning..........

Thanks to the discovery of the plethora of online lessons around .....Youtube etc......And with 'retirement time' on my hands........ my guitar playing libido has re-awoken. It's, 'the other' thing I do behind closed doors that brings me satisfaction. I have a classical guitar, a Martin, and a handmade acoustic, but I know nothing about electric guitars and amps. I want to buy a goodish electric guitar..say an Epiphone........and a small amp with a play-along facility so that I can create and play along with my own backing tracks. Are there are any experts out there who can advis

Glitterman....... Probably another 'Pastry.....er Gawd Elpus alternate identity.

Even at my peak..........ie before I lived here and with a holiday budget of 12 to 14000 a day spent directly on shags and not booze......sexually driven.................I still had time for a book and nam tdok moo on the beach at lunchtime. Not much beats a good read. No one's mentioned the book-shop upstairs at TOPS. I found 2 books in there that I've been looking for every trip back to the UK for 2 years and had on order with WH Smiths for 3 months.

To give credit......The Jomtien beach workers are out before dawn setting up umbrellas, raking sand and cleaning up their spot. Most of the debris comes in with the tide. I assume the Pattaya crowd is much the same ... The morning after Loy Kratong is their biggest challenge.

Dontcha .......... spookily.....it seems everyone agrees that Pattaya beach is dirty......Must be because...... it ....IS....... Shockingly so in some places. That should mean 'end of'.............Just it's not how the forum works..........why 'waste' an opportunity to argue just because there's general agreement on a topic. It's always possible to pick holes in 'agreement' Who's to blame...Who's qualified to cast the first tin can........and so on...... We're all guilty of it...........some more than others. So dontcha rise, 'me boy' to personal taunts.

You don't swim in the sea in Pattaya.......you just go thru the 'motions' Amongst the worst I ever saw though was on a school football trip to Cannes in the year of Woodstock..............and' Brute' aftershave. The beautifully clear Cannes waters were turned shite brown as a rainstorm carried the detritus of the entire town's street drains directly into it. I've seen dirty beaches on or 'in' every continent...And there are no, 'clean hands' anywhere in the world. However I'm in no way minimising Patttaya's record. I've lived here 3 yrs now and apart from a couple of jet-s

Good advice above. Another tip always call the tune yourself. Any resistance to that is a warning to bail out or take real care.

Funny my most sour-faced and rigorous checks have been with Australian Immigration. Just doing their job..........nothing personal.......don't hold it against them. Agree Thai Imm' rarely smile back.....even when I'm at my most obsequious. Given up trying. Nothing gonna spoil my first day back in LOS.

I think we all are taking what you say as a given.............These are just curiously Thai, minor endearments. Relax.

I never offer my hand to the tailors.........sometimes they grip my wrist as I pass........I learnt a simple non violent and effective grip 'breaker' when I studied aikido ......it effortlessly frees me and leaves them thinking, 'how did he do that....' .......Works equally well in soi 6.

I often go just for a glass of decent wine in the bar.......... Champagne starts at 800 bt a glass. A decent aussie shiraz about 450. I've only eaten there twice and enjoyed it both times. Just a word to be careful of upselling...........a friend got talked into a 'special steak'........When the bill came it was 2 and a half the price quoted.........apparently the small print stated by weight. The Thais with him complained quite forcefully but to no avail. ..........Cost him over 4000 bt for a steak.

If I've small change on me otherwise I just tell them not to tie their shoe-laces in a revolving door.

All computers give you an option to delete your browsing history, cookies etc. I do it from time to time just to tidy up. ................ Last time along with my cookiesI found loads of old 'pastry' that needed flushing out. Have a mooch around your computer options stevoman.

Excellent list...........really struck a 7/11 bell...............the staff must hear that bloody bell in their sleep. Also agree with the comment re- Indian 'tailors' I know its their job, and it must be a frustrating job for them ..........But my particular 'hate' is when they call out........''Awrite geezer''.........OK they've assessed somehow correctly that I'm English and from London. But I want to tell them that I WOULD NEVER SPEND A BAHT in a shop that called me 'geezer'....or....''How's it hanging bro'' for that matter. The only thing else that gets me is the lack of gratitude

Spelling...reading put me off too. ..........and I only remember it to 3 decimal places. Thinking about 'it'.........it's the only time in my 58 yrs knowing 'it' has proved useful. I'm hoping that one day someone will make up a joke about ......''opposite sides of a cyclic quadrilateral being supplementary'' and I'll get that too. My maths teacher will be rotating 180 degrees in his grave.