Ruthless_Barbarian
Member
I don't fancy pop music as it is, western or j or k or whatever.
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AusGAF IV - A No Hope, Government - Double the price, region locked and now adults
- Thread starter VOOK
- Start date
Mad late to this party, but I think that Gears of War is the gaming equivalent of Columbo. He plays all dumb and stupid, but then BAM! He has you in his grasp.
I actually think it has great mechanics, some innovative little touches and a pretty well defined universe. It's well paced and the core of it - like Halo - is constantly fun.
The dialogue is pretty crisp as well - sure it's dumb, but it feels like part of this 'Predator' style macho-bullshit charm. Loving Gears of War 3 so far.
I actually think it has great mechanics, some innovative little touches and a pretty well defined universe. It's well paced and the core of it - like Halo - is constantly fun.
The dialogue is pretty crisp as well - sure it's dumb, but it feels like part of this 'Predator' style macho-bullshit charm. Loving Gears of War 3 so far.
Ping Pong Show!
Last night I found myself sharing drinks and dinner with some backpacker friends in Bangkok's infamous Patpong Road markets. We'd been accosted earlier in the week by streetdudes promising to take us to a Ping Pong show and our big night out had come! The area is notorious for it and a frequent destination for travelers up for a laugh.
With a menu that reads 'Pussy Show Ping Pong FREE; Pussy Show Banana FREE; Pussy Show Dart FREE; Pussy Show razorblade magic FREE; Pussy Show woman and man have fucking FREE' it's a bit hard not to be intrigued by the prospect. And hey, our group was mostly girls so it's nothing suss.
We'd done our homework - everyone in Bangkok is out to rip off the westerners. Stories of 'free' entertainment (provided drinks were purchased) that ended up with clients arguing with insanely overpriced hidden costs are the norm. A lot of those stories end up with the naive travelers getting roughed up by the bar owners so we were on our guard but up for entertainment. The place we were looking for couldn't be found so we surrendered to one of the random streetdudes. We wanted to be very clear on what we were getting into - '100 baht beers, no extra cost, understand?' We insisted that he understood.
He agreed and took us to the place.
The place was empty with the exception of a white dude and his Asian partner and the only others in attendance looked like they worked there. And then of course were the girls - half a dozen unattractive desperate-looking Thai women wearing nothing but bottoms and socks.
Here's what we got to enjoy:
-Ice cubes being shot into a glass.
-The words 'HELLO WELCOME' being written on a placard with a marker pen.
-A clown horn being blown (they turned the music off and I was in stitches laughing).
-Soda water bottles being opened and sprayed over the girls in our group.
-A party whistle being blown.
-A weird long flexible string that looked to be made of mini-glowsticks shoved up, and then retrieved from one the ladies' babymaker. Didn't quite get this one.
-Balloons being shot with a dart gun.
All of these acts were executed without any class. The ladies un-sexily slid off their knickers, squatted down and away they went.
We made one mistake early - after each act, the girls would come by our table (we were the only group there and a loud one at that) and clink glasses with us. We quickly did the math and realized that with each clink we'd agreed to buy them that drink. After that we ignored invitations to charge glasses with them. Then they offered for one of us to hold a balloon whilst she shot at it with a dart gun. I knew we would be charged with it, but hey, when the hell am I going to be in Thailand again?
Holding a balloon that got shot out of my hand by a dartgun-wielding vagina is now one of my favorite memories. I have the little rubber thingy in my wallet so I can use it when telling the story to passengers on my daily commute.
After about 30 minutes of entertainment the moment came - we'd finished our first round of drinks and the manager came over and demanded the tab be settled. The sum? 7,700B (about $290 USD). They had the bill written out in three sections: our drinks; the girls drinks (which cost 500B amazingly) and the 'extra entertainment'. The music had stopped playing and we were surrounded by the bouncer, manager and several demanding-looking Thai strippers. Of course we refused to pay anything above the 500B total we'd expected to fork out for drinks. They start striking items off the list and bring the price down but we refuse to budge. We mention the agreement made with the dude on the street, only to be met with 'We don't know him - we never agreed!'
Now, I'm a tall guy and I have a bit of bulk on me but I've never been in a fight. The Thai people on the other hand, are pretty bloody good at it. We're in their backyard and they've no doubt been through this whole 'confuse the westerner with the bill' act before and are skilled grifters. Plus, I'm a modern well-paid professional that could have afforded paying up simply to avoid having my teeth knocked out. I like having teeth. My backpacker cohorts didn't have the same spending leisure I did and it is with thanks to my Irish mate (who looked like he could hold his own happily in a fight) that we stuck to our guns and demanded we pay not a cent more than 500B. When Australia goes to war next, lets invite the Irish.
We got up, filed towards the door, and paid the 500B all to the tune of naked girls telling us 'You no fair mister'. No manhandling and no-one stood in our way between our seats and the door.
The moment we step out onto the street we notice people pointing us out and following us down the night market. At the cab rank, people we hadn't met before and weren't cabbies/Tuk Tuk drivers were asking what hotel we were staying at and we assume the worst. Luckily we get into a cab that accepts payment on the meter, we tell him loudly the name of a made-up hotel before getting in and then halfway along the road tell him the real address. Not until we get to the hotel bar do we start laughing about it over a drink.
Surely the story of 'naive westerners get taken advantage of by the promise of a ping pong show' wasn't unique to us. If anything, being threatened over the bill is as much a part of the experience as is avoiding getting sprayed with mineral water from a teenager's vagina.
Three highlights for me this year - Helicopter ride through the Grand Canyon, seeing the sun rise over Angkor Wat ruins and getting hustled by the Ping Pong bar management in Thailand.
Last night I found myself sharing drinks and dinner with some backpacker friends in Bangkok's infamous Patpong Road markets. We'd been accosted earlier in the week by streetdudes promising to take us to a Ping Pong show and our big night out had come! The area is notorious for it and a frequent destination for travelers up for a laugh.
With a menu that reads 'Pussy Show Ping Pong FREE; Pussy Show Banana FREE; Pussy Show Dart FREE; Pussy Show razorblade magic FREE; Pussy Show woman and man have fucking FREE' it's a bit hard not to be intrigued by the prospect. And hey, our group was mostly girls so it's nothing suss.
We'd done our homework - everyone in Bangkok is out to rip off the westerners. Stories of 'free' entertainment (provided drinks were purchased) that ended up with clients arguing with insanely overpriced hidden costs are the norm. A lot of those stories end up with the naive travelers getting roughed up by the bar owners so we were on our guard but up for entertainment. The place we were looking for couldn't be found so we surrendered to one of the random streetdudes. We wanted to be very clear on what we were getting into - '100 baht beers, no extra cost, understand?' We insisted that he understood.
He agreed and took us to the place.
The place was empty with the exception of a white dude and his Asian partner and the only others in attendance looked like they worked there. And then of course were the girls - half a dozen unattractive desperate-looking Thai women wearing nothing but bottoms and socks.
Here's what we got to enjoy:
-Ice cubes being shot into a glass.
-The words 'HELLO WELCOME' being written on a placard with a marker pen.
-A clown horn being blown (they turned the music off and I was in stitches laughing).
-Soda water bottles being opened and sprayed over the girls in our group.
-A party whistle being blown.
-A weird long flexible string that looked to be made of mini-glowsticks shoved up, and then retrieved from one the ladies' babymaker. Didn't quite get this one.
-Balloons being shot with a dart gun.
All of these acts were executed without any class. The ladies un-sexily slid off their knickers, squatted down and away they went.
We made one mistake early - after each act, the girls would come by our table (we were the only group there and a loud one at that) and clink glasses with us. We quickly did the math and realized that with each clink we'd agreed to buy them that drink. After that we ignored invitations to charge glasses with them. Then they offered for one of us to hold a balloon whilst she shot at it with a dart gun. I knew we would be charged with it, but hey, when the hell am I going to be in Thailand again?
Holding a balloon that got shot out of my hand by a dartgun-wielding vagina is now one of my favorite memories. I have the little rubber thingy in my wallet so I can use it when telling the story to passengers on my daily commute.
After about 30 minutes of entertainment the moment came - we'd finished our first round of drinks and the manager came over and demanded the tab be settled. The sum? 7,700B (about $290 USD). They had the bill written out in three sections: our drinks; the girls drinks (which cost 500B amazingly) and the 'extra entertainment'. The music had stopped playing and we were surrounded by the bouncer, manager and several demanding-looking Thai strippers. Of course we refused to pay anything above the 500B total we'd expected to fork out for drinks. They start striking items off the list and bring the price down but we refuse to budge. We mention the agreement made with the dude on the street, only to be met with 'We don't know him - we never agreed!'
Now, I'm a tall guy and I have a bit of bulk on me but I've never been in a fight. The Thai people on the other hand, are pretty bloody good at it. We're in their backyard and they've no doubt been through this whole 'confuse the westerner with the bill' act before and are skilled grifters. Plus, I'm a modern well-paid professional that could have afforded paying up simply to avoid having my teeth knocked out. I like having teeth. My backpacker cohorts didn't have the same spending leisure I did and it is with thanks to my Irish mate (who looked like he could hold his own happily in a fight) that we stuck to our guns and demanded we pay not a cent more than 500B. When Australia goes to war next, lets invite the Irish.
We got up, filed towards the door, and paid the 500B all to the tune of naked girls telling us 'You no fair mister'. No manhandling and no-one stood in our way between our seats and the door.
The moment we step out onto the street we notice people pointing us out and following us down the night market. At the cab rank, people we hadn't met before and weren't cabbies/Tuk Tuk drivers were asking what hotel we were staying at and we assume the worst. Luckily we get into a cab that accepts payment on the meter, we tell him loudly the name of a made-up hotel before getting in and then halfway along the road tell him the real address. Not until we get to the hotel bar do we start laughing about it over a drink.
Surely the story of 'naive westerners get taken advantage of by the promise of a ping pong show' wasn't unique to us. If anything, being threatened over the bill is as much a part of the experience as is avoiding getting sprayed with mineral water from a teenager's vagina.
Three highlights for me this year - Helicopter ride through the Grand Canyon, seeing the sun rise over Angkor Wat ruins and getting hustled by the Ping Pong bar management in Thailand.
reptilescorpio
Member
Lame. Should have bottled those bozos like a true aussie.
Network adapter... like, the one on your PC? Maybe try doing stuff via a wireless connection to the device, even from an iSomething.reptilescorpio said:
I'm more than happy to try and help, but I get the feeling that your ability to communicate via the internet is less than spectacular. FWIW that modem was pretty solid the time I used it, but maybe there's something it doesn't like about your line.
codswallop
Member
Well, I've done two of those three things and, after that, now feel like I've done all three. Great post.Bernbaum said:
FormallyMegadrive
Member
No, sorry. PC only.Kerrby said:
Ruthless_Barbarian
Member
Bangkok can be dangerous at times....the Thai people are not out there to hustle you because they are criminals, it's because they are poor...and tourism/sex industry is their major breadwinner.
I remember when I was there 2 years ago, this tuk tuk driver would not take me anywhere unless I went to a particular shop with him and just spent 10 minutes having a look at useless jewelry or textiles. They get fuel credits from the shop owners to bring in customers, and thus the drivers won't drive you unless you agree. He didn't even charge me money for the fare because he got the fuel credits.
Another tuk tuk driver kept on following me showing me pictures of naked girls and asking me to go with him to a massage parlor. After his constant badgering I went with him just to have a look, I had been walking all day in heat so a massage sounded good. At the parlor the pimp asked me to pay 3000 bhat for a soapy massage, which included anything and everything that I would want to do/have done. I bargained and ended up paying him 1000 baht.
The girl who I selected for the massage was very sweet, she even prayed before she took off her clothes. I really just wanted a massage to relax before my long flight that night. I started talking to her and found out that she had a large family in a village and she worked in the sex industry so her family can eat. After the massage, she asked me if I was happy with her work and if I could tip her, she asked for a 100 baht but I gave her 500 instead.
The local people in Thailand are very nice, it's just that they're poor. But if you see them live, they are happy with what little they have.
I remember when I was there 2 years ago, this tuk tuk driver would not take me anywhere unless I went to a particular shop with him and just spent 10 minutes having a look at useless jewelry or textiles. They get fuel credits from the shop owners to bring in customers, and thus the drivers won't drive you unless you agree. He didn't even charge me money for the fare because he got the fuel credits.
Another tuk tuk driver kept on following me showing me pictures of naked girls and asking me to go with him to a massage parlor. After his constant badgering I went with him just to have a look, I had been walking all day in heat so a massage sounded good. At the parlor the pimp asked me to pay 3000 bhat for a soapy massage, which included anything and everything that I would want to do/have done. I bargained and ended up paying him 1000 baht.
The girl who I selected for the massage was very sweet, she even prayed before she took off her clothes. I really just wanted a massage to relax before my long flight that night. I started talking to her and found out that she had a large family in a village and she worked in the sex industry so her family can eat. After the massage, she asked me if I was happy with her work and if I could tip her, she asked for a 100 baht but I gave her 500 instead.
The local people in Thailand are very nice, it's just that they're poor. But if you see them live, they are happy with what little they have.
ClivePwned
Member
ok- the moral of the story is to never go on TV and tell ausgaf about it.
shanshan310
Member
HolyCheck said:
Well, to be fair most Japanese girls (15 - 22ish) I've met are obsessed with it, plus basically everyone in my Korean class (who divide into the "girls about 20" group and the "guys about 30 who want a Korean girlfriend" group). I'd say the vast majority of K-pop fans in Asia are young women.
Have you guys seen the Can of Worms ads around? Everytime I see them I facepalm. Like this morning the ad said "Is it okay to [censored] your kids online? - to controversial for this bus, perfect for our show!"
On the plus side the facebook page is swarming with hilarious idiots who I unfortunately can no longer troll due to the new updates bar telling everyone about it.
Worthintendo
Member
*insert Serrels Stare Gif*ClivePwned said:
bodyboarder
Member
Good stories fellas.
shanshan310
Member
Salazar said:
You should come take Korean at UQ!
Aon said:
In my experience:
Mandarin classes are made up largely of Cantonese speakers. (Non Asian students who do it are largely Law/IR students using their electives).
Japanese actually has a mix of nerdy types with high ambitions to work in a game company, girls who like J-Drama, Law students who wanted to branch out and people who did it in high school but have no real life exposure to the language (see: most of them drop Japanese after the first year, or if not end up just scraping a pass).
Korean, like I said, is mostly girls who like K-pop and mature-age guys. I made the mistake of telling people I didn't really watch K-drama and was interested in international relations/ North Korea, and got weird looks and a "but why would you want to go there? people die there".
reptilescorpio
Member
Balls of joy I seem to be on the internet! Purchased
a Netgear DG834G and it seems to work good as gold. Had to run some updates and fandangle the network adapter/router into factory reset so it could be pinged but touch wood it is okay. A little slower maybe.
Also was dying for a shower so I grabbed some electrical tape from Safeway and taped part of a garbage bag over the hole in the shower so it wouldn't get any more damaged. Picked up some insoles for $1.70 from Safeway too and they are fucking gold. Feels like walking on virgin foreskin. I'm a thrifty bastard so when the fancy dress shoes my parents got me in Thailand for $4 wore the bottoms out within 2 months I grabbed a $15 pair from KMart but the damn soles ride up towards my toes as the glue must be Australian made or something. Plonked the insoles in and away I have gone, to bliss.
Also came across a little video store that does $2 Tuesdays including video games! Got Gears of War 3 (overnight) and LA Noire (weekly) for $4! Maths is fun! Much better than waiting for them to hit $20 on OzGameShop, cheaper too.
I think my luck is changing for the better tonight!
stole from work
Also was dying for a shower so I grabbed some electrical tape from Safeway and taped part of a garbage bag over the hole in the shower so it wouldn't get any more damaged. Picked up some insoles for $1.70 from Safeway too and they are fucking gold. Feels like walking on virgin foreskin. I'm a thrifty bastard so when the fancy dress shoes my parents got me in Thailand for $4 wore the bottoms out within 2 months I grabbed a $15 pair from KMart but the damn soles ride up towards my toes as the glue must be Australian made or something. Plonked the insoles in and away I have gone, to bliss.
Also came across a little video store that does $2 Tuesdays including video games! Got Gears of War 3 (overnight) and LA Noire (weekly) for $4! Maths is fun! Much better than waiting for them to hit $20 on OzGameShop, cheaper too.
I think my luck is changing for the better tonight!
Shit son, you should have called up your boys and got them to hustle on over with your colours.Bernbaum said:
So why the hell didn't you pay the poor hustler 3000bhat? Dude is just trying to feed his starving children. You children killer.DeathJr said:
Fine, go ahead and cancel Christmas. See if I care.Gazunta said:
Ruthless_Barbarian
Member
DeathJr said:
...except Michael Jackson. He was awesome.
reptilescorpio said:
Why pay the pimp, who already gets commission from all the work the girls do?
reptilescorpio said:
Local store or chain? Blockbuster charges $7.99 a night, $9.99 for 3 nights. :X
Jintor said:
Awesome awesome, or bayonetta awesome?
reptilescorpio
Member
Eh, all good dude it lasted a little while and didn't cost too much. Plus the new one didn't cost me too much.Shaneus said:Sorry I appear to have sold you a dud, dude
It's called VIDEO 2000. I assume they use a time machine to bring in all the new stock. Which probably explains why they don't care about making money on rentals since they are leveraging the time machine technology to send people from the year 2000 into the lofty heights of 2013 where cats have taken over Phnom Penh and only Presidog can save the communists from their hollandaise ideals!DeathJr said:
Jintor said:
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