Jimbo's Cocktails & Dreams Bar

[jimbo34]

Nuoy, also proving to be a great assett

Cat with Rollo. She too, came with barely a word of english, but has stuck to it and is making progress. It was gratifying to see the gentlemanly Rollo barfine her last night.

[pacman]

(jimbo34 @ Jun. 28 2009,16:51) I fear Sonya is back on the slippery slope of self destruction, and wont make it to next week, never mind Christmas time!
If we have a repeat of last night's appalling behaviour she will be out on her arse. And this time it'll be permanent!

That is very sad news. As one of many here who find her appealing, I am upset for young Sonya that she is sewing the seeds to her own destruction.

A word of caution if I may. Sonya is about the sexiest thing I have seen in any Phuket thread & I am sure she is barfined regularly. With the drop in visitors, there would be many girls struggling who would be relieved if she succumbed to her old habit.

They know you have given her a warning & that she is on notice about her past behaviour. Is it possible that some staff would be happy if she left C&D? She does present a constant challenge to the other girls for much-needed business.

Do not put it past them to have orchestrated the availabilty of yabba or ice or whatever is her weakness. I have heard of them doing it before. And I know that playing on her weakness is a strategy they are not above.

Jimbo, if you do care for Sonya's well-being, is there another course of action available? I don't know if there is any drug program available on Phuket. I don't know if you even give a damn.

Twice bitten, you must be disappointed. But with her support on the forum, there must be guys willing to help if there is any practical way to save her.

One thing I will ask - was it sudden, the change in her behaviour or did you see her slowly slipping back into her old ways? Not that it makes a lot of difference but check that there isn't a plan to sabotage her. Or at least, don't discount the possibility.

[daveduke007]

(jimbo34 @ Jun. 28 2009,10:51) ...Sad to say, Daveduke, but Wayne pictured here with Sonya, really tried to keep his word about barfining her last night. But she was so "out of it" on whatever chemicals she's started using again, the whole experience went pear-shaped and was very embarrassing to me personally. I fear Sonya is back on the slippery slope of self destruction, and wont make it to next week, never mind Christmas time!

I'm not in the bar tonight, but NingNong will be watching her closely. If we have a repeat of last night's appalling behaviour she will be out on her arse. And this time it'll be permanent!

 And very sad to hear jimbo after the chance of a "fresh start" you have given her  

If she "fucks up" she has nobody to blame but herself which is a crying shame    as She was an absolute "delight" and I loved every second of the 4 nights I spent with her  

Im just praying its a one-off with her behaviour but dont hold any high hopes.

Funny thing is I received a call off Sonya last night (Sat) at 22-45pm ( Sun 04-45am thai)
As I was working I didnt hear my phone  

I wonder what that was about  

[jimbo34]

Pacman: Firstly, we gave her a second chance, after she fucked up the first time. and yes if it is a one-off, of course we will let it go - she's young and can be permitted to make the occasional lapse. But in LoS if you show signs of weakness they all want to exploit it, so you have to be seen to be firm on certain things. If she fucks up, she's out - simple as that. How many chances does she want? After all, why did she leave Pattaya?
Secondly, its hopeless to try to talk to someone ona sensible level when they're up to their eyeballs on whatever chemical concoction. As she wasnt in the bar last night (hardly surprising) NingNong was unable to preach our gospel. I am there tonight, and if she is, i will obviously be "having a word".
Thirdly, as for the conspiracy theory: I know what you mean, and its possible a few jealous types would be glad to see the back of her, but i would be hard-pushed to believe her friends in the bar would encourage her back to the bad habits. However, some of her skanky mates outside C & Ds are pretty dubious sorts and would undoubtedly have played a part.
Finally, drug rehabilitation programme? In LoS? Are you kidding? They dont even get basic medical cover, never mind something as constructive as rehabilitation!

Lets hope she's ok and contrite tonight!

[pacman]

      Cheers Jimbo. Thanks for taking the trouble to give such a studied reply.

I was grasping at straws when I mentioned the rehab program, the only one that exists to my knowledge is the detoxification course run by the Buddhist monks.

I guess she has no family on Phuket, it really is a case of everyone for themselves in LOS, so what now?

Is it just inevitable that she becomes another drug victim? Such a shame, such a waste...      

Trying to save a junkie from themselves is so futile anyway, trying to rescue a young transexual hooker from 1000's of miles away just seems to be totally impossible.

Other girls have become addicted in Thailand. Sonya isn't any other girl. Over the past few months we have come to see her as the sexy thing she is. Call me hypocritical but a lesser girl with a drug addiction doesn't seem so bad.

This kid with all her appeal seemed above such foolishness. My own opinion is that whenever any P4P girl turns to drugs as a response to her work, we are all implicated. I am not suggesting that we are responsible for her using drugs but given any other work choice, would she have done the same thing?

Good luck Jimbo, we can only watch from afar & wish you every success with your efforts. Keep the forum up to date with any news & post here if there is anything that we can do.

[farangbah]

On a more positive note, it's great to see our ol' buddy Rollo back in the mix! Jim, as he doesn't seem to hop on here that often, please extend my regards.

But what's Paeng explaining to him in that pic...?

[rxpharm]

jimbo, once again thanks for the fantastic job you, boarhog and others are doing for promoting Phuket and C&D as a prime place to visit during a LOS holiday.

There is an NGO group called Sisters in Pattaya who do outreach to LBs re: AIDs prevention, and they also offer counseling. I am not sure if they have set up a Phuket branch yet, but they could be a resource as they offer medical advice/counseling as well.

Here is an article about there work from The Teak Door Ladyboy Care Centre:

A first-of-its-kind counselling centre in Pattaya offers respite for members of the city's transgender population

Story by ARUSA PISUTHIPAN Photos by YINGYONG UN-ANONGRAK
Transsexuals are rarely made to feel at home in everyday society. But in Pattaya, there is one place where they are wholly welcome.

"Here at Sisters Counselling Centre, every transsexual feels like a family member. We feel happy and comfortable being ourselves. It's like home," says 26-year-old Sittiphan Boonyapisomparn, one of the centre's supervisors.

Established in June 2005 with financial support from Washington-based non-profit organisation Population Services International, Sisters was the first counselling service in Thailand to cater exclusively to transsexuals.

Sittiphan says Sisters is also the only health service in the country to specifically focus on transsexuals, to whom its awareness programmes on HIV/Aids and other sexually transmitted diseases are pitched.

Sisters was set up in Pattaya because of the city's large transsexual population of 600 to 700 in the low tourist season and more than 1,000 in the high season.

Aside from its health, counselling and information services, Sisters aims to create a sanctuary for transsexuals, a place where they can relax, talk openly, use the Internet or even undertake daily tasks like getting changed, bathing or cooking.

Just like home.

"There is always discrimination against transgender people in society," comments Sittiphan, who is a transsexual. "Transgender people face occupational limitations and often lack self-esteem. Many times they are victims of violence. Our aim is to [help them] maintain their identity and have a better quality of life."

As a haven for transsexuals, the centre also welcomes their friends and boyfriends who are also offered information and support related to HIV/Aids and other sexually transmitted diseases. By providing knowledge, understanding and awareness of HIV/AIDS, the centre aims to reduce the number transsexuals infected with the disease.

As well as a drop-in service, Sisters provides an outreach counselling by having its staff directly approach young transsexuals who, for whatever reason, are unable or unwilling to pay Sisters a visit. These staff offer information, support, or simply friendship to the transsexuals they meet.

But the majority of Sister's work is done in-house, where, along with the services named above, recreational activities such as a cooking club, a beach volleyball club and make-up classes are undertaken. The centre also hosts a monthly forum where special guests share their experiences. On top of all of this, birthday parties for members are held regularly.

"Our activities are not necessarily health-related. Sometimes members just drop by to have lunch with us. Often it's more like a get-together," says Sittiphan with a laugh.

All of Sisters' services and activities are provided free of charge. Members don't even have to give their real name as the information they are required to provide is only used to maintain health records.

In both its drop-in and outreach activities, Sisters staff aim to convey four key messages. These are to always use condoms during casual sex _ especially when drunk, to also use condoms with boyfriends or partners, to properly use sexual lubricant, and to regularly be tested for sexually transmitted diseases.

"These messages are conveyed through all the activities we do," explains Sittiphan. "For example, during a light conversation with a member, we pop in a question asking whether or not they used a condom last night. This way members indirectly learn about safe sex through friendly talks."

Sisters currently has 20 trained staff, five who man the centre itself and 15 who undertake outreach activities.

"Our main job is to make friends with other transgender people in the community," says Sittiphan. "Both drop-in and outreach staff give advice about anything _ from sex-change operations and tips on taking hormones or contraceptive pills to advice on safe sex practices or even how to deal with a boring job. We'll talk about anything _ anything at all."

Sisters now has almost 300 members, most of whom are aged between 17 and 25. Most members have jobs in Pattaya but few are local people.

"Most transsexuals here have relocated to Pattaya from Isan or the north of Thailand. We, however, prefer to have members who live in Pattaya as it's hard for end-of-year evaluations and statistics taking if they live elsewhere," says Sittiphan, adding that some transsexuals in Bangkok or Hat Yai call the centre for phone counselling.

Sittiphan conceded that approaching the local transgender community was initially quite difficult. This was because there had never been a transsexual support centre in Pattaya before so they had to earn the trust of each person they met.

"It's like when you first get to know somebody, it's not easy to develop trust straight away. Some don't want to talk to us. Some say rude things behind our backs. Some even walk away from us without saying a word," says Sittiphan.

"All we can do is be patient and not give up. We always believe that people have a reason to say no to us. Perhaps they are too busy or have other important business to handle. So we keep trying and usually find that our efforts pay off."

Another difficulty Sisters faces is an inadequate budget. Its staff would like to do more community work, but the current budget limits them to mostly health-related activities.

Working with a largely mobile population is another obstacle for the centre. " As many of our members move here for work then return to their hometowns, it is difficult for us to follow up with them or stay in touch," explains Sittiphan.

Sisters plans to open another office by the end of this year, but its location has not yet been decided.

After a year and a half in Pattaya, Sittiphan says she feels happy every time someone visits the centre. Success for her is to have transgender people working together to form their own community. They are no longer scattered and disconnected in a society where gender bias is everywhere.

"I'm working here not as a staff member but as a family member. Here is more like home, not only to me, but to everyone who visits. That's why we named this place Sisters, because when we are here, we are like sisters."

INFO FOR DONATIONS

- Name of organization: Sisters Counseling Centre for Transgenders
- Contact person: Sittiphan Boonyapisomparn, Supervisor
- Address: 29/44 Moo 10 Soi Yen Sabai, Phratumnak Road, Banglamung District, Pattaya, Chon Buri, 20260
- Telephone: 038-423-382
- Email: sittiphan[at]psiasia.org

[Guest]

(farangbah @ Jun. 30 2009,09:49) On a more positive note, it's great to see our ol' buddy Rollo back in the mix! Jim, as he doesn't seem to hop on here that often, please extend my regards.

But what's Paeng explaining to him in that pic...?

she's telling him, i see steviep in may, he this big !


where ya been farangbah ?
xmas dates set ?



stevie

[jimbo34]

Lol @ parada.

Sorry, farangbah, but Rollo's just left for Koh Samui - he's not greatly looking forward to it, and has gone just to please his (straight) mate. If he reurns here (rather than Pattaya ) I'll be happy to pass on your greetings. BTW, when are you coming again?

[jimbo34]

Kitty

Nicole

[jimbo34]

What a great end for today! It belongs to the leader of the Miss Patong poll, how can she not win with a view like this ?

[jimbo34]

Oh, BTW, Sonya didnt make it in last night: "Day Off"!
Thanks for info about The Sisters rxpharm, looks like it might be needed!

[bkkafterdark]

Hey Jimbo,

Just finishing up work next few days in BKK and will be down for the long weekend, hope to catch up with you. I popped in few weeks ago but you were out..... no doubt taking care of your MDL

[farangbah]

(parada @ Jun. 30 2009,12:41)

(farangbah @ Jun. 30 2009,09:49) But what's Paeng explaining to him in that pic...?

she's telling him,  i see steviep in may,  he this big !  


where ya been farangbah ?
xmas dates set ?

Hey, you only get credit for that joke cuz you were the first to respond.  I laid that one out there on a silver platter.

Yeah, sorry, I've been a bit incognito, dealing with personal issues, but starting to feel like my old self again...

And indeed, holiday dates are set -- I'll send them to you soon.  But it's tough to look past the impending jaunt...

[farangbah]

(jimbo34 @ Jun. 30 2009,14:13) Sorry, farangbah, but Rollo's just left for Koh Samui - he's not greatly looking forward to it, and has gone just to please his (straight) mate. If he reurns here (rather than Pattaya   ) I'll be happy to pass on your greetings. BTW, when are you coming again?

Cheers, Jim.

Rollo's a good man in my book.  Hope fun was had by all.  That guy's been beating my appearance rate, lately, it seems.

Speaking of which, again, apologies on not making it with Stevie in May, after our foray to Hua Hin.  But I'll be seeing you in about a month, my good man.  Me and the old lady will be celebrating our one year "we birtday."  

That's comedy.  And adorable.

And then there too for the holidays, of course.