Xircal

Now is the best time to do pile driving. Right after rainy season the ground is wet, soggy and softer so the piles go in easier.

They'll likely be working 7 days a week on the whole of the resy of the building too.

Fortunately, they're not using prefabricated piles, but rather round metal tubes which they drive into the ground, then screw one onto the other until the shaft reaches the desired depth. Then they use a container with a retractable base to collect the contents inside the shaft, bring it to the surface and then dump it somewhere close by. Next, they use single strands of pre-stressed steel bound together with ties to form a circle and drop that into the shaft. Then along comes the cement truck to pour cement into the hole. After that, they extract the metal tubes, unscrewing them as they're brought to the surface.

Once all the shafts have been filled, they have to wait 3 months for the concrete to cure before the actual building work begins in earnest.

I think this the cheapest way of doing it because to demolish the building which stood on the site before, they employed a guy with a sledgehammer to knock down the walls. Really high tech stuff.

Just another round of the same old Gmail phishing scam.

If it had landed somewhere in Isaan, it probably would have ended up on someone's dinner plate the next day.

You don't say whether the place you are staying in is yours but if even it were I would rent somewhere away from the noise.

I've rented the place for 3 months @ 6,500 Baht a month + electricity (water and wi-fi free). Oh, and you have to buy your own bed linen, but that's a minor problem. Cheap by Patong standards especially considering it's peak season now.

At 6 Baht a KW for electricity though, one has to be a bit frugal with airco use. There's a double door system to the balcony though and the inner doors are equipped with anti-mosquito netting instead of glass. So you can leave those closed and the outer doors open without fear of being eaten alive by the mozzies at night.

Quick Media Converter: http://www.cocoonsoftware.com/ It's free of course.

But check Google Buzz because Youtube uploads in .MOV format are converted automatically to a smaller file size. Since Youtube is owned by Google, the same facility may be available for Buzz.

When I arrived where I'm staying in Patong, they were pile driving next door even on a Sunday. They finished about 2 weeks ago and I thought I would be able to get some peace and quiet in the morning. But, oh no, last Sunday, it began all over again on the building opposite. It's now Saturday and no end in sight.

And today, it's overcast and pretty cool and an ideal day to save on airco use. But with the balcony doors open, the noise is intolerable.

Don't these guys ever take a day off? It's peak season now as well for Christ's sake.

This is not about people who don't know me calling me 'Papa', but about those who do know me, but still call me 'Papa' even after I've told them I don't like it and to use my actual name instead.

I don't view it as a mark of respect either, but rather one of pure laziness on the part of the individuals who use it.

I agree with Beetlejuice though. I don't regard myself as being old at all, but my hair has gone grey and that seems to mean I've been awarded the accolade 'Papa' wherever I decide to go in Thailand now.

You can try here: Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission

I don't know how effective it is though.

In any event though, even if the copper lost his job, I doubt if they would inform you about it.

What I tend to do is to sign up to the frequent flyer programs of all the airlines which fly to the destination I want to go to. Once you're on their maling lists, you'll get bags of special offers usually up to 6 months in advance which gives you plenty of time to plan your trip.

In addition, these programs will earn you air miles in one form or another which are well worth the effort because on long haul flights, they soon add up. You can then redeem these either for a seat upgrade, or if you've saved enough of them, for a free flight somewhere.

One more to add to the list: http://www.capesienna.com/

I understand being nervous about flying (especially if you've never done it before), but I would think that almost any adult should be capable of doing it alone. Can you figure out why she won't fly alone, and then try to figure out a way to address those concerns?

For anybody, let alone a Thai national, negotiating your way around international airports can prove to be a daunting task. More especially though for a Thai national because once she leaves Thai airspace, none of the signs will be in Thai anymore. So a flight with a temporary stopover somewhere is out of the question if she can't read or speak English very well.

If it makes it any easier for you to comprehend, imagine yourself, having never flown before, having to find your way around an airport where none of the signs are in English, or even written in a Western alphabet. So now go find the queue where you have to check-in.

I have to say I think Thailand has this right and the west has it wrong.

In all the countries it is the womans choice to have a baby, and her choice alone. Nobody is forcing a woman to give birth.

As the man is given no choice at all in the matter, why should he be forced to pay to bring up a child, he had no choice of bringing into the world.

(this of course excludes married men who have entered into a binding contract to bring up their children)

Yes, the man does have a choice. He can wear a condom. If he chooses not to and the woman conceives, then he has to share the responsibility of bringing the child into the world.

Or are you advocating that every woman who conceives should have an abortion just because you want to get your rocks off without wearing one?

Just in case it's of any use to anyone, a 60 day Tourist Visa cannot be extended by another 30 days at the Immigration office in Patong Beach, Phuket. Anyone wanting to remain in Thailand for another 30 days will have to apply to Phuket Immigration in Phuket Town.

This poses a a slight transport problem since there's no public transport available. Tuk-tuk drivers quoted me 2,000 Baht one way and the Taxi-Meter Call Center told me that they only did journeys to and from the airport. The 'black' taxis i.e. anyone with a private car parked at the side of the road were just about as accommodating as their tuk-tuk friends quoting me a minimum 1,800 Baht one way.

I finally went to the reception desk at Hotel Sole where I'd stayed once and they were able to get me a ride for 600 Baht there and back.

Phuket town Immigration is a chaotic place to put it mildly too. There's no queuing system in place and it's one mad rush to get to the counter before anyone else does once the doors open. So go park yourself next to the entrance if you happen to arrive at lunchtime like I did.

As regards the Patong Immigration desk, they only deal with 90 day reporting in spite of what it says on the notice board outside.

Open an account with Rebtel: http://www.rebtel.com/ They will create a local UK number for your wife's Thai number which you can then use to make calls using either your mobile or a landline. You pay 1.9 US Cent a minute to Rebtel via your credit card or by using Paypal plus the cost of the local call in the UK.

I live in the Netherlands and have used their service to call Thalland for a couple of years now and can definitiely recommend them. The line is always crystal clear and you don't need a computer to make calls.

Sorry, typo. Should have been 1,000 Baht, not 1,900.

Reckon the OP's post will get a million views at least.

It's blocked for me too. I can get to http://www.intel.com but as soon as I click the link to "Communities", it gets blocked. Same goes for the other one.

I'd like to know exactly which syntax on Intel's site has been deemed to be inappropriate. Blocking the world's leading CPU manufacturer: how ridiculous can you get?

Take a meter reading yourself, then run the airco and whatever else takes your fancy for 24 hours. Then read the meter again, deduct one reading from the other and then multiply the cost per unit by 31. Simple.

Apparently, this particular astrologer is quite well known in Thailand, so his predictions are treated seriously by the Thai population.

International sites seem to be picking up the story though such as Redsky News. But do have a look at the video on the same page which shows vehicles sliding down an icy road in Seattle. Quite amusing.

Maybe others are using your bandwidth. You can check by following the steps described here

Forgot to ask you if your chess game is played over the Internet, or is it a program which you installed on your machine?

I don't think it matters where you apply. I'm a Brit, but I obtained my double entry Tourist Visa via the Thai Consulate in Amsterdam. It's free until the end of this year I believe, but after that, it will revert to the normal fee which is 1,900 Baht. I didn't ask for the double entry flavour, but they gave me one just the same.

Firefox has a mode called Private Browsing which doesn't record any history. Also, you can configure Firefox to clear the history (if you enable it that way) when you close the browser.

If you really want to get down to the nitty gritty and build the PC yourself, then take a look at Mechbgon's illustrated guide on how to build your own computer

Do bear in mind though that if something goes pear-shaped when you attempt to install the operating system i.e. you get a pretty blue screen, there's no tech support line you can call upon for assistance.