TFB Newsletter 
(Quarterly: Jan ’06 – Mar. ‘06) Return to TFB Website
Sawadee Pee Mai! Happy New Year… welcome 2006, the year of the dog (Chinese zodiac). I know I mentioned in the last newsletter that the next issue will be in February, but I thought we’d start the year off with a short newsletter, so we can go to quarterly issues based on a calendar year (ie, Jan, Apr, July, Oct).
To update you on the TFB webpage, there’s a few new items: 1) A new Links page … all the links you posted in the TFB links folder are now listed here, including TNgern’s list of links, and reference to Ken&Lat’s site (many links there). 2) Added links to selected USCIS’s “How Do I” material, to the TFB webpage’s K1 section. 3) A new "TFB Family Minute" section ... short thoughts about marriage, family life, parenting, etc.
Congratulations!
To Samisurat & ChivasGeorge, the proud papas of baby boys; and to Dave & IronGarden, the proud papas of a baby girls. What joyful news! It truly is the 'Circle of Life';
To SpikeMcDevil and Hub --they'll be getting married (good luck guys!);
To Hono,on his upcoming 5th wedding anniversary;
And a "get well soon" to Voxvader who was seriously injured in a car accident.
Any news?... If you’re having a wedding, special birthday or anniversary, childbirth, are re-locating, have had your visa approved, or getting a new puppy (hey, anything that you want to report!), please post it on the board. We’d like to hear about it-- we are the TFB “family” here. (And if I missed anyone's post on news events, please accept my sincere apologies.)
Don't look so sad... TFB Tidbits will return with lots of your useful tidbits; next issue, Thai electronic dictionaries. 
Here's a few randomly selected passages from recent postings, simply to showcase a sampling of the collective wit and wisdom on the board.
"Having spent a number of years in Thailand (currently living in Thailand) I think what makes Thailand stand out as sex tourist destination is the 'user friendliness' of the country and more the people of Thailand. From the moment you step off the plane you're encouraged to participate in this activity from the hotel staff to the taxi drivers to the women walking down the street. … Corruption is huge in Thailand from the politicians on down. If the stereotypes are ever going to go away it's going to take a lot more than just closing the bars a few hours earlier.. it's going to take the commitment of the entire country in many ways. In particular it's going to take a change in the way Thai society treats women. They are treated far from equal and most often some form of prostitution is the only "equaliser" income wise to compete with men." Bkksw
"The corruption in Thailand makes me feel so angry everytime. It start as little as giving favor to the friend to bribe the police. Why is it so widely acceptable? Because the police themselves take bribe. I always wanted to ask for the ticket but my husband said just pay him...save the trip to the police station... but I just don’t want to encourage the behavior and would want to know what's the reason I got pull over. I think everything comes down to money and luxuries-- more money so can buy expensive accessories. Thai people are more to show.. so they would spend a lot of money on things that they can 'show'. Some guy driving a BMW but family live in a small hut??? that's the example. How to fix it? Start with the family, but still, what's the example the parents show to their kids when they pay the cop everytime they got pull over??" Nepenthe
"Prostitution here in Thailand is driven by economics, income disparity, and general overall acceptance of it in Thai society. Few enjoy the tourist segment as it is too "in your face", but to ignore the reality of Ratchada, mia nois, karaoke joints, etc., prostitution-free Thailand is a bit of wishfull thinking as the bulk of it are primarily are Thai-Thai transactions. … The values here are not the same as in the west. Surely not the same as for the next big groups of tourists that will frequent here (China and India). Best thing to do is what people do in Thailand - ingore the elephant in the room." Ijiwaru
My wife and I will be celebrating our 5th anniversary this January. Five years has gone by in a flash, but it seems like we’ve been through a lot… job changes, lived in 3 states, now have 2 kids, yada yada. Rather than bore you with the 'yada yada', I wanted to share the 5 "love languages" (in keeping with the theme of 5) that is from the book “The Five Love Languages” by Dr. Gary Chapman. [From a book review]: “Unhappiness in marriage often has a simple root cause: we speak different love languages, believes Dr. Gary Chapman. While working as a marriage counselor for more than 30 years, he identified five love languages: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch. … Some husbands or wives may crave focused attention; another needs regular praise. Gifts are highly important to one spouse, while another sees fixing a leaky faucet, ironing a shirt, or cooking a meal as filling their "love tank." Some partners might find physical touch makes them feel valued: holding hands, giving back rubs, and sexual contact. "Love is a choice," says Chapman. "And either partner can start the process today."
“Often, we tend to give love in the languages we are most fluent in, which usually ends up being the languages that fill up our love tank. This would be why a husband who does yard work, dishes, car maintenance, etc. (Acts of Service) is floored when his wife says "You never show me you love me. You never cuddle with me, or caress my hair, or make the first move for sex." (Physical Touch). Or, "Why don't you spend time with me? Why do you work so much?" (Quality Time). And, "Why don't you buy me flowers? Why don't you ever get me cards or balloons...just because?" (Gifts) Or "You never tell me what I mean to you. Why don't you ever share with me what I mean to you, or what my good qualities are?" (Words of Affirmation) But, if her language is primarily Acts of Service, she'll feel so loved and honored because her husband does so many things for her, and thus feels "full" in her love tank. … Perhaps relationships get rocky or arrive at an impasse because individuals are speaking a different love language than what fills up the "love tank" of the object of their affection...and a result, the recipient doesn't feel loved. It's not that they feel empty and unfufilled because love isn't being given, but because the language "spoken" is not something that registers to the recipient as a form of love. … Chapman writes: "When your spouse's emotional love tank is full and [s]he feels secure in your love, the whole world looks right and your spouse will move out to reach his[her] highest potential in life. But when the love tank is empty and [s]he feels used but not loved, the whole world looks dark and [s]he will likely never reach his[her] potential for good in the world."
The next newsletter will be out in April… it’ll be the TFB 5th Birthday Edition (TFB was started in Apr of 2001)!
Sawadee! Hono, your TFB reporter (1-3-06)