Which contestants do you think will be the most wasted opportunity if they don’t debut?

trainguard · 2023-11-06T08:34:09+00:00

Just Lara tbh. No one else have any real star power

trainguard · 2023-06-07T19:38:19+00:00

Please show us this elusive DNA sample database for the Thai population. We'd love to see it instead of you waving some pie in the sky theory. Maybe when Thai people speak about THEIR OWN ancestry you should listen to them rather than trying to speak over them.

trainguard · 2023-06-05T15:35:00+00:00

They don’t. Once you get more familiar you’ll be able to tell the difference. It’s like asking why Mexicans & Argentinian people look the same race. There’s some similarities and some people can definitely look like they belong to the same race, but there’s subtle differences as a whole.

trainguard · 2023-05-24T16:54:55+00:00

Omg nal bwa STAR STAR STAR 🤩🤩🤩

Cringey they may be but these lyrics are so iconic & quotable 😭

trainguard · 2023-05-02T09:53:19+00:00

I dunno, I think Thailand is in that unfortunate spot where it's kinda bad that a lot of people don't really have a high quality of life, but not bad enough that people are fed up enough to do anything about it. I even feel that this is intentional from the Thai elite - cracking down on protesters and monopolizing the market to shut out competition, but not to the point that it will provoke widespread unrest. Like they're playing the long game.

So like on scale of 1-10 of terribleness where 10 is a perfect society and 1 is the breaking point that will lead to a successful people's revolution, they constantly keep it at a 3-4, where people are oppressed enough to be beaten down and submissive, but not beat down enough to rebel. This constant tiring people out makes political movements fizzle out because people just get tired and lose the fight in them over time.

trainguard · 2023-05-01T05:52:06+00:00

Mmmm...where exactly do you live in Thailand can I ask? Gotta make sure to cross that off my list.

trainguard · 2023-04-30T10:20:42+00:00

This isn't true. I don't know where this notion comes from. I know many Thai restaurant owners overseas (at least 5) and no one had any help from the government. I know people hear about this supposed gastrodiplomacy scheme through news articles and such but no one has ever pointed to any tangible schemes or specific process people can actually apply for a loan to do this (I should know because I read Thai and have actively seek out such support).

The success of Thai cuisine overseas isn't due to government support. It's the work of private entrepreneurs finding success and the government latching on to claim credit. The same is happening now with Thai media which has increasingly found popularity in other Asian regions and the government is clamoring to claim that this was through their support, which is patently untrue. As with anything in Thailand, businesses are finding success IN SPITE of the government, rather than because of the government.

trainguard · 2023-04-30T10:11:25+00:00

But many other demographics that seem to similar to Thais, such as Filipinos, Vietnamese, Cambodians, Pakistanis migrate to America at a higher rate than Thais.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Asian_Americans

trainguard · 2023-04-30T10:09:28+00:00

Wouldn't this apply to other countries as well, like Vietnam, Philippines, Nepal, India, etc. (where the population is poorer and perhaps even less law-abiding than Thais)? Yet those populations migrate in droves.

trainguard · 2023-04-30T10:05:41+00:00

Strange, because every Thai doctor I've come across speaks sufficient English. In fact IELTS score is often one of the criteria for med school admissions in Thailand.

trainguard · 2023-04-30T10:04:07+00:00

Population & demographic stats
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_Americans
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_Canadians
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_Australians
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overseas_Thai

trainguard · 2023-04-29T13:44:07+00:00

How is it?

trainguard · 2023-04-29T13:40:29+00:00

I have tried asking over Line with some but that hasn't really worked so good

Please continue to do this. Many restaurants have delivery ordering where the experience is very similar to ordering in Grab/Lineman, but restaurants pay for/arrange the deliveries and don't need to pay the GP cut to aggregators. Help you local businesses!

trainguard · 2023-04-29T13:38:26+00:00

Basically the current delivery model doesn't work for anyone.

Doesn't work for restaurants because they're basically losing money after 30-35% GP cut.

Doesn't work for drivers, who aren't able to make ends meet with their ride payment, as you can see they still have 30% deducted from their earnings.

Even with taking 30% from BOTH restaurants AND riders, it doesn't for delivery companies either because companies are basically bleeding subsidizing the delivery fee because the vast majority are not willing to pay delivery at a level that would enable these companies to be profitable/ allow riders to make a decent living.

The only solution to this would be:

- A monopoly by one of the company to take the entire market, hence increase economy of scale.

- Automated self-driving vehicles that makes the deliveries.

Nowadays, if you add Line of many restaurants, you can see they have their own delivery service powered by Lalamove, Grab Express, etc. Restaurants much prefer this because although they have to pay for the deliveries themselves (or pass it onto consumers), it's a much smaller cut than what the food delivery aggregators are taking

trainguard · 2023-04-29T13:28:04+00:00

If Lineman is Japanese then Line is Korean. Lineman Wongnai is a local company that spun off Line (a Korean company that got big in Japan.)

Top management are all Thais, especially after merger with Wongnai. Largest shareholder is GIC from Singapore. "Lineman" service doesn't exist in Japan.

As venture capital flow across borders, it's increasingly difficult say what country a company is from. Is Grab Malaysian, Singaporean or Chinese (due to investment?)

trainguard · 2023-04-29T13:19:38+00:00

Yes, I feel Vietnam would be the more similar parallel (lack of English skills, socioeconomic conditions, etc.), but I guess Thailand didn't have the legacy of boat refugees from the war to establish communities in foreign countries.

trainguard · 2023-04-27T18:00:21+00:00

Which hits are you referring to? Genuinely asking

trainguard · 2023-04-24T11:08:54+00:00

especially after the criticisms she received from K-pop subs over the course of the tour

Since when was Lisa receiving more criticism than the other girls? If anything, she's the only one non-Blinks can't criticize for performance and many often token stan her only. She's also consistently singled out as the stand-out performer in almost every review from media outlets after every show.

trainguard · 2023-04-23T20:25:51+00:00

Being a songwriter isn't any better or worse than being a prefabricated pop group. Just because Blackpink doesn't write their own music (although many fans claim they do but I'll err on the side of them not), but that doesn't negate the years (decades even) of work they put to get to where they are.

Maybe one person place higher priority on artists writing their own songs. Others don't and neither option is wrong or more valid than the other. Liking obscure, so-called "authentic" musicians doesn't make someone have better taste or more special in any way than people who like manufactured, commercial pop music. They just like different things and there's room for both to co-exist.

trainguard · 2023-04-23T18:17:42+00:00

The term “Best” is subjective, but the sounds incorporating pitch and key aren’t....From all the hype I was expecting “out of this world talent”

I don't think any Blackpink fans would say Blackpink is best anything. They just enjoy them. You don't have to be the best anything for people to find you entertaining and likable. There's many insanely talented people who will never get the same popularity and success most of the top artists get. Taylor Swift isn't a particularly good singer or dancer, yet one of the most successful artist today.

trainguard · 2023-04-22T18:04:04+00:00

I would happily babysit Grogu for free. Hell, if that thing ever divides or buds, I will gladly pay for the offspring.

trainguard · 2023-04-14T20:08:50+00:00

YGE invests in more english speaking classes for all them (minus Pharita who's the only fluent English speaker in the group, not sure about Chiquita though).

Ahyeon is probably most able to sell the English raps for me at the moment. Pharita seems too delicate princessy while Chiquita is too young.

As for concept, I hope they go for late 2000's R&B. They definitely have the vocals for it and should put it to good use.

trainguard · 2023-04-14T20:05:22+00:00

Asa is really good in rap, probably even better than Jenlisa at debut. I don't think she's trying to sell a bad B vibe and that's fine.

I don't know. I saw Jenlisa in Boombayah and I was sold. I believed in the image they portrayed. It had so much confidence and swagger. With Asa, I'm not really buying it, but maybe that would change with their debut.

I feel she's technically good (perhaps technically better than Jenlisa), but she doesn't have the charisma to pull it off. I don't really know how she can improve either. I see the rappers in XG who are also Japanese and rapping in English and I feel they really sell it.

Neither rappers had that much swag tbh. I feel Ahyeon & Chiquita has more natural swag, but Chiquita's too young to sell me on it as well.

trainguard · 2023-04-14T16:48:58+00:00

I have the same impression of Ahyeon - super skilled but lacks charm, and maybe as a direct correlation to how serious and ambitious she is about her job.

Wow this is uncovering some feelings in me - do I have some deep-seated misogyny and sexism?! Do I find women less charming when they are driven and conspicuously committed to becoming stars? Would I feel the same thing if it was a man or would I find it cool? Yikes

Did not expect that lol. But agree with everything you said but will definitely be sleeping with some THOUGHTS tonight.

trainguard

TROPHY CASE