paborn (August 12th, 2018)
Just in case anyone is remotely interested I believe ( from an article I read online) that the below is as reasonable translation into English of the Thai words.....
krungthep mahanakorn
(The great city of angels)
amorn rattanakosin mahintara yutthaya mahadilok phop
(the supreme unconqueralble land of the great immortal divinity - Indra),
noparat rajathani burirom
(the royal capital of nine noble gems, the pleasant city)
udomrajaniwes mahasatharn
(with plenty of grand royal palaces)
amorn phimarn avatarnsathit
(and divine paradises for the reincarnated deity - Vishnu)
sakkatattiya visanukam prasit
(given by Indra and created by the god of crafting - Visnukarma).
christianpfc (August 14th, 2018)
Oh dear NIrish - if your "new bar game" of reciting the full name of BKK catches on and displaces the wanking contests I fear you won't be popular
Agreed that frequent's comments were irrelevant to your post. That article in The Spectator is a silly, anecdotal, "fun read" and nothing more. Pick up next month's issue of Cosmo and you'll find the exact same article, but written by a woman who claims that women are really looking for men with charm and charisma. Flip open last month's issue of Men's Health and you'll find a hot girl in a bikini with a bubble above her head saying, "I'm really looking for a tall, tanned guy with an eight-pack and buns of steel." It all depends on what they're selling: a conservative, Establishment-type newspaper like The Spectator not surprisingly might pander to rich men with big houses and even bigger bellies about their supposed desirability.
If it's true that women only look for men with big houses, then most women in Singapore would end up as spinsters as most Singaporeans (about 80% I think) live in public housing, including my family. What usually happens is that a couple would apply for a HDB flat when they get engaged and both parties would contribute to the downpayment and eventual 10-20+ year loan. Usually the loan would be paid out of their Central Provident Fund savings which is our national pension fund. Sure, rich and successful men can be attractive but not everyone is looking for that; moreover, most of the time the rich would seek their own kind. I'm sure I can find an article to "prove" that point if I wanted to.
The debate over romantic vs arranged unions often end up being uninstructive because proponents or opponents of either speak in absolute terms without capturing the wide and varied variables between the two. For example, it's not a guarantee that the parties in an arranged or "utilitarian"/practical marriage would eventually fall in love with each other. They may stay married for security reasons, children, etc but the more dependent party might become resentful of the situation after a while and in the extreme case result in the flying farang phenomenon often seen in Thailand.
AHHH but what I didn't tell you was YES the winner gets his 100 baht, BUT what they didn't know is that all the other guys who lost all have to go back to my room hom for a FREE mass orgy ! - See, don't worry there's always a sleaze silver lining if one tries hard enough !
I commiserate with the OP. Fortunately, I'm very unlikely to get into such a situation. I only visit each bar once when I'm in Pattaya.
But I know the problem of not getting seen walking past with a boy in tow by boys I know who sit outside, and did some detours. Fortunately, the road network of Sunee Plaza allows to get to any place from at least two sides.
francois (August 14th, 2018)