 |
|
|
#1
02-02-2005, 18:12
|
||||
|
||||
|
TG's and cellphones
Each on it's own can come in very handy, it is when the two are combined it gets annoying. In most western countries speaking on the phone at dinner and so forth would be considered very rude, not to mention it really ticks me off.
I must admit I am more relaxed about it in Thailand since it is so common, however I would not besides the annoying sound of the phone pester my surroundings with me chatting, high pitch even...if possible  Read an amazing article where the authour put pen to paper better then I could hope for even in my wildest dreams... Thai Thoughts And Anecdotes 48 By Dana Part 1 THROW IT THROUGH MY WINDOW "What are they talking about, anyway?" What the hell are women talking about on their cellphones? If any of you ever want to get in touch with me you have my permission to write your thoughts on a note and tie it to a soi rock and throw it through my window. The sound of breaking glass and ricocheting off the furniture and walls will be music to my ears. It will mean someone from the human community who has an interest in my beating heart has gotten through. Because sure as the Pope's a Catholic and Bears Shit in the Woods; nobody is getting through my girlfriend when she is on the cellphone. And she is ALWAYS on the cellphone! Oh, I know there are ways to put her call on hold and let me talk-- blah, blah, blah; but just forget about it. When Poom, the Light Of My Life (LOML) is on the phone it's like the walls of Jericho and it is going to take more than the sound of a bugle or a farang's lament to get those walls to come down. It sounds like I am complaining. Not really. I have figured a way around this–I simply pay perfect strangers 50 baht to make calls for me in hotel lobbies and phone booths on the street; and I have told my friends to call me at work. What I am really getting at here is what the devil is she talking about? She is on the phone all the way to work, she is on the phone at work, and she is on the phone all the way home, and she is on the phone in the house and in the kitchen and in the bathroom and yes, in the bed. I instituted a rule early in our relationship that there would be no incoming or outgoing calls after 8 PM so that we could luxuriate in being a couple. She agreed. So now she discovers that we need something at the Minimart–she's actually making phone calls outside at night. Or when she thinks I am asleep she hides in the bathroom and makes calls. What the hell is she talking about? Think I'm being silly? Well, consider this– She can't be talking about Buddhism–she isn't a practicing Buddhist. She can't be talking about cooking–she doesn't cook. She can't be talking about Thai or international politics–she can't find Thailand on a world map. She can't be talking about family–she doesn't have one. I thought I was the family (mistake). and. . . She can't be taking about Art or Philosophy or Literature or Classical Music or Chemistry or Biology or Physics or Mathematics or Aesthetics or Molecular Theory or Darwinism or Astronomy or Plate Tectonics or World history or Psychiatry or Medical Theories or the Green Revolution in Agriculture or the History of Thailand (no idea and no interest) or the Film Industry or the Theory of Flight or the Textile Industry or Legal Theories or Civics or Fashion. She couldn't find any of these things in a dictionary. Hell, she couldn't find a dictionary. I have never once seen her read a book or a magazine or a newspaper. She is completely devoid of curiosity and intellect of any and all kinds. If she had to use her brain synapses to start a fire the earth would turn into a cold cinder. I was once treated to her talking on her cell phone for 40 minutes (I'll tell you about it in a minute). How is that possible? She doesn't know anything and she isn't really doing anything and none of these calls have anything to do with me or with us (I'm not that big a fool) and she doesn't want to know anything about anything. I have never heard her express an opinion about anything. I have never heard her ask a question about anything. I have never seen her intellectually surprised or disappointed about anything. So WHAT THE HELL IS SHE TALKING ABOUT? Let's consider the Normandy Invasion of World War II, the greatest invasion in the history of the world. An invasion that involved hundreds of ships and thousands of men and millions of dollars and the concerted efforts of individuals and peoples and ideas all over the world. Due to the Freedom of Misinformation Act here in the United States the teleconferencing call between Eisenhower and his staff that planned the whole invasion is now a matter of public record: It goes like this– Eisenhower to Staff-- "Get the men. Get the boats. Lots of ammo. Not much food–most of the men won't make it one mile inland. Wait for clear weather. Shove off. Pray to God." That's it. That's Eisenhower on the phone planning the whole Normandy Invasion. I timed it–20 seconds. Twenty seconds to plan the greatest invasion in the history of the world. A man and a phone. Actually, the part about the food and the men not really needing much because they were not going to get more than one mile inland before they became heroes isn't strictly speaking necessary. But Ike was one of those compulsive detail managers and kind of a chatty guy so the planning of the D Day invasion took 20 seconds by phone. My Poom (LOML) was once on the phone for forty minutes and nothing got planned. We were in Chiang Mai and I had booked us on an all day trip from the Chiang Inn to the Doi Suthep temple. The Doi Suthep temple sits on top of a mountain and the trip up the mountain is fabulously scenic and a lot of fun. White guys and white girlfriends do the trip up the mountain on bikes and others use motorcycles and I had the Poonster and I in the back of a black air-conditioned Mercedes Benz (500 baht for all day–how does that work economically?). Anyway, as the car started the scenic trip up the mountain Poom's phone rang. She answered it. She talked for the next forty minutes. It was Bang from Bangkok (Yeah, I know it looks unlikely–but it really was a woman named Bang from Bangkok. At least her name wasn't Kok.). And how exactly does that technology work? Is there a 10,000 foot cell tower half way between BKK and Chiang Mai? Anyway, one of the reasons I had taken Poom (LOML) to Chiang Mai was so that we could have some ‘couple' time–some bonding time–etc. Bang called from Bangkok. Poom (LOML) talked for the next forty minutes! Did I say Forty Minutes? She completely missed the scenic and fun car trip up the mountain and she was still talking on the phone when we got to the top of the temple complex. She had talked as we walked around the first terrace and she had talked as we walked around the second terrace and she talked as we climbed the lovely and unusual stairs and she only shut up when we got to the top where we were surrounded by incense and flowers and monks. So basically I took a trip to the Doi Suthep temple alone and she took a trip to the Doi Suthep temple with her cell phone. Now don't misunderstand me. I understand that due to some weird chromosomal makeup that women have a constant unremitting need to bond with other women. I get it. I see it all around me. But what the hell are they talking about? In the time Poom (LOML) was on the phone with Bang in Bangkok, Eisenhower could have planned 120 invasions (do the math). I once made the mistake after one of these phone marathons of asking my little Thai princess what she and her friend were talking about. "Oh, nothing." she said. I believe it. I just don't know how she does it. Since neither she or her friend actually have any ideas; I have developed the theory that they are just playing verbal scales–you know, reciting the alphabet to each other in different tones or at different speeds or maybe backwards (Naw, too hard). Think I'm exaggerating. OK, you figure it out. If your girlfriend from Udon with the dark, dark skin and the elegantly skinny arms has the brains of a parrot and my Poom (LOML) with the brown eyes and the small waist has the brains of a soi dog and they are talking to each other (remember, it is a parrot talking to a soi dog); WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT? If you get this figured out, call me; no, wait a minute–that won't work. Write it down, tie it to a rock, and throw it through my window! >>>> 
|
| Guest Info |
|
+:+:+ Forum Headquarter +:+:+ |
|
#2
02-02-2005, 18:13
|
||||
|
||||
|
Part 2
You might ask since I don't speak Thai how I can know what the girls are talking about on the phone. Good question. And the answer is that I don't know what they are talking about. But I do know what they can NOT be talking about (see above extremely partial list) because I have been in the trenches with Poom (LOML) for two years. And believe me when I tell you that if you could fold paper airplanes small enough you could fly them around inside her skull. Nothing. Zippo. Nadda. Goose Egg. There is nothing up there. If I tap her head the dog starts barking. He thinks someone is at the door.
When I first met Poom (LOML) two and half years ago in the Nana Hotel parking lot she thought a paradox was two piers in a harbor, and she was saving money on birth control by only taking every other pill. I thought it was innocence and charm. Recently I have ripped the S section out of my dictionary so that I won't have to see the word Stupid. When I first spotted her in the parking lot she was wearing a T-shirt that said ******S DO IT WITH HOOKS. What? I thought it was innocence and charm. Let's consider what else Poom (LOML) can't be talking about– WWI or WWII (ah heck, name any war) The need for fiscal restraint and time management (white people talking–she zones out) How to read a train, plane, or bus schedule (she asks the monks for help) A modern nations need for oil (oil is what others cook with–she doesn't cook, remember?) Macro and Micro economic theories (she only uses macro and micro when referring to scorpions) International Time Zones ("Where is International in Thailand?") Celestial Navigation (if you want to know where you are, you ask monks) Theories of Child Development (apathetic) Pollution (indifferent) Manufacturing Techniques (BORING) Slate roofs in Cologne, Germany ("Is Cologne in Laos? Laotians are Pigs!") United Nations charity work in Thailand (doesn't give a rat's ass) The fact that the King was born in America (farang lie) The cultures of contiguous-to-Thailand countries like Burma and Laos and Cambodia or countries further afield like Vietnam or China (no concept of being Asian–there are Thais and foreigners) Carbon Dating (she ain't dating no Carbon, unless he has more money than me) DNA (she's really snoring now) Crop Rotation (she thought crop rotation was holding rice seeds in your hands while you were on a Ferris wheel) OK, it's a long list; and after a while it can look like piling on. No need to be a bully. But wait a minute–some of the line items are noteworthy: The concept and value of Punctuality (not even a glancing blow) The long odds on ghosts actually existing (only a stupid farang would question ghosts) The name of Thailand's Prime Minister (no clue) The fact that the Moon revolves around the Earth and that the Earth revolves around the Sun ("Do the farangs have a moon?") Futility of buying lottery tickets when the lottery is crooked (unconcerned–"You're making my head hurt!") So she's not a modern person. That's not her fault. Let's not be unfair. She is Thai and that is as good and as special as being anything else. So that means she can do Thai arts and crafts, right? Dream on– Lacquerware–no knowledge and no interest. I have been to the factory and made the purchases. Silverware–only interested if it is free farang gift–and gold that can be pawned is better. Basket weaving (what, are you nuts?–she doesn't even cook) How about museums and galleries and zoos and botanical gardens and city parks (Nope and Nope and Nope and Nope and Nope. BORING) OK, lets try umbrella making or the furniture factory or Gemopolis or the Teak house or the Palace. Nah, it's me again who takes an interest and knows about this stuff. I just love it when the Thais tell farangs that we don't know anything about Thais or Thailand or Thai culture. Really? Want to put it to the test? So, when your girlfriend (the parrot) and my girlfriend (the soi dog) are talking on and on and on clutching their cellphones–WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT? And another thing, Oops–I just heard a rock crash through my window. I've got a call coming in. Catch you later. Link to original story here http://www.stickmanbangkok.com/reader/reader946.html
|
|
#3
02-02-2005, 18:17
|
||||
|
||||
|
I must admit
that all off it does not apply all the time or even to all TG's, however he has a very valid point and goes about it in a very funny way.
I know I at least have on more then one occation felt the sudden urge to smash a cellphone to bits..
|
|
#4
02-02-2005, 20:53
|
||||
|
||||
|
And its our fault he fell in love with an idiot ??
intelligence is a pre requisite for any long term relationship for me.. My first Thai wife was one of the most perceptive and street smart people I have ever met.. Talk intelligently about 100's (1000's) of topics.. Though to be fair she had lived in Europe for 5 years or so and was very westernized.
__________________
Men have only 2 emotional states, hungry and horny.. So ladies, if you see me without an erection, make me a sandwich.
|
|
#5
03-02-2005, 03:05
|
||||
|
||||
|
its good and bad
bad when we are eating in a restaurant and shes on the phone the whole time. good when i just want to relax and watch tv or read a book and she can talk in rapid fire in thai to her mama, friends, bf? bad when im sleeping and the loudiest,noisiest ringer goes off and wakes me! but i would agree, mostly bad
|
|
#7
03-02-2005, 10:04
|
||||
|
||||
|
Yeah right
Quote:
Maybe it is a cultural difference, that aside I think it is disrespecting towards other customers speaking in a cellphone when at a restaurant for example. I know the article in itself is disrespectful, that was not why I posted it here and I do not agree with the author when he is belitteling his gf and tg's in general. That is not the point, the point here is the use of cellphones in situations and at locations where it should be avoided, which I find inappropriate and disturbing. However, your comment is also disrespectful and do you not much justice. Whatever... is a popular term but in general display insecurity and lack of ability to form an opinion or express such an opinion. It is hardly worth the effort is it? Making a whole reply only stating "whatever", hardly think that can be stimulating your intelligence? I'm sure you had sort of an opinion while wording your reply, other then whatever I mean Fact remains, next x-mas eve dinner I hear a phone ringing I will politely grab it and shut the bugger off, next that rings will be lowered into nearest container of fluid. Ps. Only reson I posted the article was to illustrate the point I was making, wether you agree with the author or not doesn't matter much, he is still a talented writer. I do however belive his story is fictious and created solely to illustrate his point, which is excessive use of cellphones in public places...
|
|
#8
03-02-2005, 12:40
|
||||
|
||||
|
Without wanting to put down the girls we all enjoy and love so much, lets face it, these are not the kind of sophisticated, educated, girls with much world view or understanding.. I think you find if you start to mix with non working Thai's these kind of cellphone (and lack of interest in global topics, to an extent) areless of an issue..
Bangkok uni girls seem to be exempt from this though and may well be the worst phone offenders..
__________________
Men have only 2 emotional states, hungry and horny.. So ladies, if you see me without an erection, make me a sandwich.
|
|
#9
03-02-2005, 14:01
|
|||
|
|||
|
I think he's bemoaning the fact that he doesn't understand what the girl can possibly have to talk about since he has singly failed to identify any topics of (mutual) interest with her (She may well be thinking the same thing - "Why he no learn Thai?")
Western grumpy old men rant in similar vein about their teenagers' talkng on the phone. K.
|
|
#10
03-02-2005, 14:20
|
|||
|
|||
|
maybe
Yes it would be great if you could learn more Thai. You might find some of her conversations funny. You could catch her ranting to her friends about how you fart in your sleep etc.
|
|
#11
03-02-2005, 14:46
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
Yes, its funny sometimes. But if the girl knows you understand her, she often leaves the room if she`s on the phone. Or she call her friend back later. Or she just don`t care like one i picked up and said to her friend (on the phone) "bpainai? bpai tekk tekk" (where i go? i go f**k.) She said it like i would say "Ok, i just go to the bank" or so.... Nearly had a crash with the motobike because had to laugh so much. 
|
|
#12
03-02-2005, 14:58
|
||||
|
||||
|
Of course
Quote:
I would however say as a general note that women are better at speaking about nothing on the phone then men, belive this to be pretty universal. However that aspect is of no importance to me, I simply find it rude when disturbed by a cellphone at a restaurant. It is disrespectful to the person you are with/persons around you and if the person you are with starts making outgoing calls? Don't get me started on that one... Of course sometimes you might need the use of a phone even if you know you will be disturbing others, can only speak for myself but I would keep it low key and very, very short. Which seem to be an impossible task to some.. I would like to state for the record that I am not a grumpy old man and I do use my cellphone a lot, I try not to offend others with my cellphone use though. There is a reason why many western restaurants and alike has banned cellphone use, they acknowledge the fact that to some, if not most, it is disturbing and annoying. Quote:
As I said before, lack of interest in global issues does not concern me much, excessive cellphone use at places where you might want to relax, eat or have a pleasant quiet conversation does however. Of course it will differ depending in what social layer in Thailand you are moving, I get just as ticked off at the excecutive guy trying to seem important, if not more. It has something to do with respecting other individuals personal sphere, even at public places, when moving it's not a big problem, but at a stillstand setting it is just plain intruding, unless it is (as I said) short and to the point. I wonder how many would walk into a cinema or a restaurant in Thailand with cellphone turned on and with sound on ? Versus same in an european country ?
|
|
#13
03-02-2005, 15:12
|
||||
|
||||
|
Missing the point...
Quote:
The point is not understanding but purely about the disturbance, for me anyway, the author of the article may have had other things in mind as well. Yeah that might be funny, still disturbing though and nothing that should be spoken about at dinner for example. Agree? I know most western people would react if they were out on a date or having dinner with their family at a restaurant and the person on the next table started speaking on the phone, loud... Or even worse, if your date starting calling friends to speak about anything, I don't think it would matter much to you if you understand it or not... If I'm on a date, with my friends, or with family I like to give them my attention, in my opinion they deserve as much... I'd rather not bother anyone else either, cause I know how much I would be annoyed if tables were turned..
|
|
#14
03-02-2005, 17:05
|
|||
|
|||
|
..
I have to agree that it is annoying to have your date yak away on the phone while you're out.
Basically, it's the same,how some women feel , after a long day at work,their husbands/bf end up being stuck to the TV and remote control all the time while their wives/gfs try to have conversations with them.No one likes being ignored It's an Asian thing, because we are not aware of such 'etiquettes'. It would be good to voice it out Afterall, being together is a learning experience.
|
|
#15
03-02-2005, 17:36
|
||||
|
||||
|
Sure
Quote:
Understand what you mean about the remote & TV And as you say I do belive that the cellphone thing is an asian thing, not that it doesn't occurr here as well, less frequently though. It would however be good if BM's here 'spread the word' as such, of course it is hard to know unless you are told in some way. I can only speak for myself but I enjoy spending time with people, wether it be conversation or just being silent together, having that ruined by cellphone at the next table or worse...the one your with, is just irritating. Oh well, enough ranting about cellphones for a while
|
|
#16
03-02-2005, 20:41
|
||||
|
||||
|
Geeezus Junkhouse........
she`s probably talking about things that matter to her,or she can sense your frustration in her for not wanting to prattle on about splitting the atom or some world war........it`s the simplicity thats most of the charm I find..........it`s impossible to nag and whine about things if you don`t know or care about them,hence the beautiful smile.................not exactly sure what my point is but then again I`m no rocket scientist either
|
|
#17
03-02-2005, 21:16
|
|||
|
|||
|
the way i see it, spending your attention to something else when you're with someone, doesn't really matter on what, is a show of disrespect.
|
|
#18
03-02-2005, 21:19
|
||||
|
||||
|
Sure you read everything?
Quote:
To put this very briefly and somewhat polite ( I originally started typing another reply ). There is a place and time for the use of cellphones, which is most of the time, I'm fine with that. I care not what others use it for, thats their biz, I do not care if I understand what they say or if I know them or not. All that is irrelevant. However there is times and places where cellphones should not be used, or at least silenced and left alone to a more suitable time. According to me that is at night at better restaurants, cinemas, in bed  and a few places I do hope I don't have to visit some time soon.If you have a problem with that, fine by me.. If I were to enjoy a cosy evening at Silk and someone starts to talk loudly in a cellphone at the table next to me I would be polite first time around, if that wouldn't help I'd ask Urtheman to resolve the issue. If it still didn't help I'd just leave. Any Farang would know such behaviour would be considered rude and annoying so I guess the responsibility lay with them, regardless who does the talking. So you really think I would have this problem with a gf that I brought? Seem like I would tell her no? And kick her to the curve if she didn't adjust to that? You see, I don't like cellphone use in general at some places, much like many non smokers would react if I light up in a restaurant where smoking is banned and blew smoke in their face.
|
|
#19
03-02-2005, 21:23
|
||||
|
||||
|
Yep
Quote:
That I fully agree with, however I do not like to disrespect the ones around me either...
|
|
#20
03-02-2005, 21:26
|
||||
|
||||
|
Oh by the way
Quote:
Just to clear up something... Does the same apply if you bring a gf to a lb show and look a little too long and hard at the lb's? I sure hope not Allthough I know and have learned so is the case
|