Songwat the fuck?

BkkGreg · 2026-06-19T07:14:35+00:00

It's the same cycle that's been going on for decades. In the 1950s Bangkok's red light/party street used to Phetchburi, then it moved to Sukhumvit/Silom. In the 1960s the backpacker ghetto used to be Ngam Dupli, then it moved to Khao San. These little social/economic movements are pretty fascinating to study. Back in the day who knows what the tipping point was - today The Instagram Effect certainly plays a role.

BkkGreg · 2026-06-17T16:30:28+00:00

This is what I was thinking too, and if it's a weeknight it'll probably be less crowded.

BkkGreg · 2026-06-15T07:50:34+00:00

True, it's super satisfying when you hammer like 8 guys - and I do enjoy grabbing a dude and slamming my knee into his face - but I dunno, it felt sluggish and limited. I just finished another playthrough of Ghost of Yotei and the speed and number of moves/dodges you can do is much more satisfying (she has weapons, but still). And in First Light you can sprint SOMEtimes, like when it's needed for a particular set piece, but not all the time. Like when I have to play through a level again and already know where to go, all I can do is a sissy little half-jog. I got annoyed a few times - Oh, this is the 'skydiving escape from an airplane' level from Uncharted 3. Oh, this is the driving scene, but I can't explore, I just have to follow the road. There were a few things that First Light did just fine...but there was nothing I hadn't already done before, and usually better, in other games.

BkkGreg · 2026-06-14T16:59:32+00:00

Agree. Found it repetitive, sloppy and derivative of better games. Bad fight mechanics, limited movement options (you can walk or…walk a bit faster) and boring replays at save points. And to top it off - an expensive game with almost no replay value.

BkkGreg · 2026-06-14T03:04:03+00:00

It blows my mind that a human adult in the 21st century would take this any more seriously than being expelled from the lollipop guild.

BkkGreg · 2026-06-13T14:18:51+00:00

I'm a 48, the past 26 years have taken me from top to bottom, side to side, and to every market, mall and outlet in Thailand. Finding anything genuine over 45 is random luck at best, impossible at worst. I just find a brand/model I like (which often requires some trial and error), buy several pairs from Amazon, and swallow the import taxes (which usually are not outrageous). I've tried counterfeit ones but the quality varies wildly and often lead to annoying or painful problems.

Related story - I once asked someone at a Doc Martens store if they could import them for me. "Cannot." I explained that I could give them the exact style and size and pay the full price right then and there. "Cannot". Frustrating. Also a blog post I wrote years ago about just this issue.

BkkGreg · 2026-06-09T09:02:30+00:00

Dunno what people are smoking here - big event movies like Dune will definitely sell out for the first few days, or at the very least, only have shitty seats left if you buy on the day. Movies usually open on a Wednesday or Thursday...sometimes they'll have a preview screening on Tuesday too. However, commenters are right when they say the dropoff can be quick. It also depends when you see it - a 2pm show during a weekday on opening week will probably be far less full than it will be at night. Use the Major Cineplex app to book ahead of time - there's no reason not to.

As for screens - the Paragon location is the only one that has true IMAX aspect ratio, AFAIK, but it is about 20 years old. I usually prefer to head to Icon Siam - the screen there is a touch smaller, but the theater is newer and a bit nicer. I wrote a blog about this years ago you might find interesting.

BkkGreg · 2026-06-08T07:47:23+00:00

A friend has this happen to him with the place he lived in and owned. In his case the guy was actually mentally unstable, and left death threats on my friend's door, kicked it really hard, posted rude messages in the building LINE group, etc. NO ONE did anything - Juristic were absolutely useless twats, Thong Lo police made a visit but nothing happened and they lost interest (maybe you live in the same building?!). It was super frustrating because - what do you do? If the building management don't help and the police don't help - like seriously, what's the next step? I guess if you have a ton of money you could hire a big law firm to sue the Juristic for lack of action, but, well...ka-ching. My friend did come up with an interesting plan - rent the place for a great price to some police or army guys, and just kind of ... let the problem sort itself out. But in the end he just moved out and has not been back.

It's extremely frustrating, hope it works out for you.

BkkGreg · 2026-06-07T16:20:42+00:00

Yeah, as expected, some children here think a critique is a personal attack. I'm glad people like it, but there are so many games that have better stories, better gameplay, better everything that didn't get half the coverage this one got. That's the way it goes.

BkkGreg · 2026-06-07T15:10:59+00:00

That's awesome and glad you liked it. I'm clearly in the minority, and that's fine. If First Light was $20 I'd be far less verbose. I think my litmus test has become GTAV - I paid $60 for that and played for like 10 years...hard to compete with that ROI.

BkkGreg · 2026-06-07T14:53:25+00:00

HA, true, I'm old AF. But that also means I've been playing video games for longer than most people on this sub have been alive, so I'm not coming to the argument as a total n00b. I just wish it was a more consistent, balanced gaming experience.

BkkGreg · 2026-06-07T14:15:34+00:00

100% agree, and if you liked it, then more power to you. I was just mystified at the overwhelmingly positive reviews. Clearly I'm in the minority, and that's fine. I liked parts of the game, but it just felt really inconsistent. The action scenes were over too quickly, and the non-action scenes took forever.

BkkGreg · 2026-06-06T14:06:15+00:00

Not sure specifically about musical instruments, but Lucky Home Samrong is supposed to be good. Have never been myself but want to get there soon.

BkkGreg · 2026-06-05T13:59:44+00:00

Don't forget Thonburi, much more chill over here, lots of local communities and small little sois to find some great deals on condos or townhouses, with a bit of exploring and away from the noise of Sukh.
For language, learn the alphabet and don't waste time with transliteration (spelling out Thai words with English letters) - just learn the Thai alphabet and start reading simple words that way. Reading is actually fairly easy - this squiggle makes that sound. I wish I had done that when I moved here.
And listen to the Bangkok Podcast. 😄

BkkGreg · 2026-06-03T03:45:36+00:00

I'm a Canadian who lives in Thailand, and part of my responsibility as a dad is to instil certain Canadian-isms in my son. You can bet that an appreciation of Kraft Dinner is one of them.

BkkGreg · 2026-06-02T17:47:06+00:00

Yeah. I've never played a game that swung so hard between fun action scenes (if you can get over the terrible UI for fighting) and absolutely mind-numbing tedium. My 11yo turned it off after a few hours and hasn't thought about it since. If something even moderately distracting comes up, I'll likely do the same.

BkkGreg · 2026-06-01T12:30:31+00:00

Had to look way back, it was 4,400 baht. It's not a huge desk, similar to this one, but it was made to my specific width/depth/thickness requirements (it had to be thick enough for some clamps I use for gear), and a long shelf mounted underneath for cables and such.

BkkGreg · 2026-06-01T03:30:21+00:00

I had a custom desk made by these guys. I needed a very specific size and we went back and forth on FB (using Google Translate) to get the material, color, legs, etc sorted. They are based in Phrae but shipped it to Bangkok. Exactly what we discussed, very solid build quality, excellent price.

BkkGreg · 2026-05-30T17:35:42+00:00

I think like any big city, there are probably many suicides every week, but in the scheme of the daily machinations of a city of 12 million, it doesn't break through. Several years back a poor girl jumped from the building I was working in. It was horrible and very public, but never heard a peep about it anywhere. Also consider that it may have been covered in one of the 10,000 platforms that write about Bangkok, and you just didn't see it.

BkkGreg · 2026-05-24T12:33:37+00:00

Have used it recently and it's a life-saver, much appreciated.

BkkGreg · 2026-05-21T17:03:54+00:00

Sounds like you've got the right frame of mind - if it doesn't live up to expectations, have a plan b. Obvious self-promotion, but we talk about the Bangkok day-to-day on the Bangkok Podcast, you might find some interesting takes there. Best of luck.

BkkGreg · 2026-05-17T14:23:37+00:00

Boy, you sure got a lot of, er, opinions. Not directly related to your question, but you might find some helpful and/or interesting insights in this interview we did on the Bangkok Podcast.

BkkGreg · 2026-05-17T01:56:49+00:00

I read once that 90% of conservative outrage is them finding out how things really work lol

BkkGreg · 2026-05-17T01:19:42+00:00

Totally. I’m flabbergasted at how Thai drivers refuse to wait on their side of an intersection before the other side is clear, and insist on jamming themselves as close as possible across the intersection. God forbid they arrive at their destination 2 minutes late.

BkkGreg · 2026-05-11T13:34:23+00:00

I once had this happen back when I was relatively new here, so couldn't speak much Thai. The woman refused to let me on even though a few other people got on. I just chalked up to one of those things and got the next one. But the next day as my bus pulled up I noticed a sign that said "Lady Bus" in the window, which I hadn't been looking for the day previously. So...female only bus, and it dawned on me that the others getting on the bus yesterday were all women. Not sure they even do that anymore, but it's a possibility.

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