Dear Hillary,
What is the attraction of karaoke bars for Thai people? My Thai GF and her friends all end up in one of these places after work and they can spend hours there. The Pattaya Mail’s Dr. Iain, in one of his books, stated that karaoke was Japan’s revenge for WW2 and I agree with him. People singing out of tune in front of a TV screen being used as an auto prompter machine is certainly not entertainment as far as I am concerned. They don’t seem to care about singing ability either, and the screams of enjoyment are certainly not music to the ears either.
Jason

Dear (Judgmental) Jason,
Have you some deep-down problem with karaoke itself, or karaoke and your Thai GF and friends. Do they spend “hours there” which you feel is eating into your time with your GF? I am also not a lover of karaoke, which is why you won’t find me at one of these places, but the people who do enjoy it are not hurting anyone, so you should not get so uptight, my Petal. Go and watch football with your mates and holler every time a goal is scored, and maybe you will find that this is a relief from the stresses of living, just as your GF does with her karaoke friends.

Dear Hillary,
I have been transferred to Thailand by my company for the next two years. I am a native English speaker, and so far I find the Thai language very difficult, to almost well-nigh impossible. What is the best way to learn the lingo? I see there are quite a few “language schools”, but I get the feeling they are just out to rip me off with their high fees. I want to converse with my lady friend a little better. Some suggestions please.
Len

Dear Len the linguist,
I can’t recommend one language school above the others, as I haven’t needed to go to one myself. The larger ones are fairly reputable I am told, Petal. The best way, I am told, is ‘immersion’ where you go somewhere where nobody speaks your language and you have to learn Thai, just the same as a small child picks up Thai. Three year olds have a good command of the language, after all. This might be difficult for you if you are employed down here, so you might have to sign up for lessons. There is another method, called ‘pillow talk’ where your lady friend teaches you, but again, I am not offering!
Dear Hillary,
What is it with Thai people and time keeping? My GF is never on time. 30 minutes to an hour is about the usual for her. I even bought her a watch, as I thought that might get her to be more punctual, but no. Watch is a fashion accessory I think! Everyone I know has the same problem with Thai timekeeping - it just doesn’t exist. Don’t they know it is very rude to be late for appointments?
Will

Dear Will,
It might take all the ‘will’ in the world for Thais to be punctual, but what you have to understand is that Thai people are more easy going than the westerners who seem to think that “time” is the most important factor in their lives. You will worry yourself to death, Will. Learn to build in some wiggle factors with the appointments.

Dear Hillary,
You get lots of letters questioning why western men fall in love with Thai girls. Many factors, including: Thai women have a great sense of responsibility to family. My Thai step-mother has been married to my father for over 24 years and always took care of the family when my father was at work.
Second, Thai women know how to have fun. Not once did any of my Thai girlfriends ever give me a hassle about low funds or being bored. They each surprised me when I was low on cash.
Third, a significant portion of Thai women and many other Asian women do not butterfly - it’s not a part of their culture. These women remain faithful to their man.
Fourth, Thai women are very feminine. I love their display of the motto, The Land of Smiles; their sense of shyness at first, then friendship afterward.
Fifth, Western women are boring. All they want to know from a man is what kind of car he drives, his job/career, will he take care of her so she doesn’t have to work again. Western women make lousy girlfriends and wives. Western women need to change their attitude and learn from Thais just how to keep their men happy.
Jackson

Dear Jackson,
You are obviously a student of human nature and a good observer of cultures, but don’t you think you have been just a little hard on our western cousins? There are many western women with a sense of responsibility, fun to be with, faithful to their partners, feminine and not boring. You are being too sweeping, Petal, though I think there are probably more Thai women with those attributes than westerners, but I can’t really comment.