Long Term Off

[gerefan2]

I've always regarded the Japanese as total animals at sex (thank god) - the average encounter with a Japanese guy is way, way better than, say, with a Thai guy

So what keeps you in Thailand then? Ah the intangibles...to quote yourself!

[Nathan B]

Someone's wage is independent of the quality of their work

That's some strange parallel universe you inhabit. In my world, your pay, promotions, prospects and opportunities are directly related to the quality of your work.

[frequent]

That's some strange parallel universe you inhabit. In my world, your pay, promotions, prospects and opportunities are directly related to the quality of your work.

Last Friday was a typical day:

• After breakfast I had a word with condo management. My condo building is managed by the same extended Chinese-Thai family. Mother rules the roost. Her daughter manages the lettings. Daughter's husband manages repairs and maintenance. Husband's sister works in the office doing something or other. The family son and heir slopes around the place in some paid capacity. Various family retainers who have been there many years fulfill cleaning roles. The only non-permanent staff are the security detail, supplied by PCS or similar. They rotate regularly - annoyingly often just after I've managed to get them to show me how they polish their truncheon. It is not a meritocratic work environment
• I go to the same coffee shop; the staff don't change that often. Some are friendly, some are indifferent. All can make coffee the way I like it. I don't know but I doubt there's much difference between them as far as "pay, promotions, prospects and opportunities" go
• A friend invited me to lunch, but insisted it would be at S&P. My experience of various S&P outlets over the years is that they have elevated incompetence to heights not often seen even in Thailand. I made the mistake of ordering a new (to me) dish on the menu - a pasta. It was edible but as pasta it was execrable. It was also more expensive than, say, The Common Room at Chamchuri Square which actually knows how to cook pasta. Given their entrenched incompetence in the kitchen either they have a very poor record in selecting cooks or their turnover of cooks is significant. I suspect the former and therefore that's a fail in assuming "pay, promotions, prospects and opportunities are directly related to the quality of {the} work"
• After lunch I needed a haircut so went to my usual barbers. There's a guy there I've noticed doesn't seem to do very much even though he's dolled out in the name badge etc. I asked my usual guy what the boy does. In summary he's the manager's "favourite". It's a role I've encountered the world over - one or more barely competent employees protected by a senior manager. It's closely related to that other widespread phenomenon - sucking up to the boss. No meritocracy needed. My brother was recently laid off (not in Thailand) and in his place a young woman was promoted. She was fucking a senior manager. Meritocracy anyone?
• Thence to Tops Supermarket. Various flunkeys were lurking about as usual. I have no idea what their role is supposed to be; it seems largely to be chatting to one another. Other employees were stacking the shelves. Call me old-fashioned but I suspect stacking supermarket shelves is not one of your actual highly-skilled jobs where "pay, promotions, prospects and opportunities are directly related to the quality of {the} work". Then there's the checkout. I suppose it might be possible to rise to the giddy heights of Checkout Chick Grade 4, but my impression is they keep their job for as long as they can keep their fingers out of the till, and their pay is pretty similar one with another
• The highlight of my day was one of my regular guys bringing over a new guy for a road test. First impressions were good - a handsome, dark-chocolate Cambodian. However his repertoire was strictly limited and while he was showering afterwards my regular and I agreed he would not be added to the Black Book. I believe in full transparency in these matters - each boy was given the same tip as the other, in full view of the other. In this case I guess "prospects and opportunities" were related to performance, pay not so much
• So to dinner. I surveyed the serried ranks of Telephone and Balcony waiters. I've had enough post-coital conversations with many of them to know that the pay scale is on the flat rather than the differential side

That's the strange parallel universe I inhabit. I'd call it Thailand but I suspect it's really just ordinary life, that thing inhabited by most of us

[gerefan2]

Did you crib the first paragraph from someone living in Yensabai Condo?

[Smiles]

" ... Thence to Tops Supermarket. Various flunkeys were lurking about as usual. . . . Then there's the checkout. I suppose it might be possible to rise to the giddy heights of Checkout Chick Grade 4, but my impression is they keep their job for as long as they can keep their fingers out of the till ..."

Skip to the other day in the queue at TOPS (Hua Hin version):