As the month winds down, so does our income. In the last few days I have given my Thai boyfriend B1,000 to help meet expenses.
He spent most of it buying food, as he likes to bake and cook.
Today the man from the power company paid us a visit to turn off the mains supply, in a friendly warning to pay the bill. It was due some time this week, I suspect, but as I don't get paid until tomorrow, they just have to wait.
The computer was off at the time, thankfully, as it does not enjoy power outages. The television was on, but I hardly noticed, as I was in the shower. Boyfriend Maiyuu turned the power switch back on, restoring supply.
Three days ago the telephone company cut our home telephone line, though Maiyuu insists it is for repair work, not because he forgot to pay the bill. He called the company again today, and was assured service would be restored by tomorrow noon.
In the absence of a telephone, I have been visiting an email cafe for the last couple of days. As I returned at midday, I found boyfriend Maiyuu in the lift with a pile of magazines.
He was using the lift to take magazines from our condo. He left a large pile of magazines stacked in the condo carpark.
Maiyuu has found two new methods to raise money. One is to sell his collection of men's fashion magazines, which go back several years.
Yesterday, he called a man who sells second-hand magazines. He picked them up at the condo, and paid Maiyuu B200 for them.
A day earlier, Maiyuu took overseas currency left over from trips to see my family to a man who exchanges coins for Thai currency.
Banks refuse to take coins from overseas, but Maiyuu found some traders in Bangrak, Bangkok, who do accept coins - at a discount to the exchange rate prevailing at banks, of course. He raised another B300 from that source.
Tonight as I prepare to leave work I have B200 in my wallet. If I finish late, I shall have to take a taxi. That will eat up B100, leaving me with just B100 to my name.
Roll on pay day tomorrow!
Postscript: Does anyone here remember the British writer, Jeffrey Bernard? He wrote a weekly column for the London Spectator magazine, called Low Life, about his exploits as an ailing alcoholic in Soho, until his death in 1997. Are these tales of penury and financial woe turning my blog into the same thing?
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| Jeffrey Bernard |
Hi
ReplyDeleteThanks for the blog, i have been reading for a week or so now, and skipped over the last few months.
Your stories of Thai life are great, and very informative, especially as i'm considering moving there soon they offer some great insights.
I do think there is too much celebrity content, we already get way too much of this in the UK, and i'm sure anyone interested can find the information elsewhere.
What I want is gay thai life stuff, thats impossible to find in the main stream, blogs are a perfect way of relaying this information.
Thanks again, and hope you have been paid by the time you read this.
Rob
Your boyfriend is very resourceful. He deserves a pat on the back.
ReplyDelete:)
Possibly but at least you are not Unwell. - Ian
ReplyDeleteI agree with the above post.. cheer up ! you're not unwell.. and you have a payday tomorrow. Money comes and goes.. and Maiyuu seems very resourceful and dedicated to helping your situation. I'd love to have someone like him helping me get through life. Tell him he's earned this farang's respect.
ReplyDeletehang on there...just make a conscious effort to reduce your alcohol intake by one drink everytime you're out with friends.
ReplyDeleteMake it a habit, and soon enough feeling good is not just about having as many drinks as you would like...
"Are these tales of penury and financial woe turning my blog into the same thing?"
ReplyDeleteNo, but I think you are coming to the realization a country such as Thailand will never be able to afford the social safety net that the big western nations have and whatever may become available probably won't be for foreigners.
A friend who works for "the" major media co. there was cheerfully telling me of all the film/video productions that are now being produced in Thailand for other countries.
The prime reason: Thailand is well equipped and cheaper then even India or China -less restrictive too.
The same follows for other sorts of manufacturing, even China is now subcontracting some P.c. board manufacturing to Thailand.
The down side of this is that other countries are likely to conspire to keep the Thais just poor enough to remain a source of cheap labor and materials.
You recently posted remarks from a friend who stated the "I should have left Thailand years ago".
At your age you still have time to make a change.
Lino
'The down side of this is that other countries are likely to conspire to keep the Thais just poor enough to remain a source of cheap labor and materials.'
ReplyDeleteHow do they do that?
Thai guys are known tough survivors since eons ago. No need safety net, Jathukam amulet will help.
ReplyDelete"Blogger bkkdreamer said...
ReplyDeleteHow do they do that?"
Basically the same ways they do it in the west except that in most of Asia there are no enforceable anti-trust laws. Companies/countries can simply conspire to not pay any more than certain price for a given product or material.
India might exploit Thailand for foodstuffs and materials such as cement while China-Taiwan-Singapore will quietly have circuitboards made there to suppress wages in their own countries and boost profit.
Then there are the time honored methods of "buying" politicians, in this case Thais who keep such things as trade unions virtually invisible. Thailand isn't innocent of this either, there have long been accusations of complicity with the Burmese dictatorship for raw materials and labor. The BBC recently did an expose of exploited Burmese workers in Thailand.
I expect that you don't want to comment on the current situation there in Bangkok, I am following developments hourly via BBC and e-mail with fingers crossed for a peaceful outcome.
Lino in New York
Lino, you are a terrific correspondent! You are right, I don't want to provide a blow-by-blow journalistic-style account of the stand-off between the government and PAD. However, I plan to write something in a lighter vein later tonight.
ReplyDelete