Mr.StickyRice

I would suggest "Outdoor" skateshop near CMU, it has been mentioned before.

Avoid the mall shops because those boards are a couple of seasons/years old (so they get them cheaper), but skateboards are not made to age well.

They get dried/brittle and are more prone to breakage, plus skateboarders are a fickle group and

they won't be "cool" anymore anyways.

I have skateboarded all around CM, its super dangerous, but it can be done. It not much different than riding a bicycle but you can get killed pretty easy by bad road conditions.

The road to CMU is super smooth and the trip from near Doi Suthep back to Central is lovely and downhill. Try it late at night if you want the whole road to yourself.

I mailed my GF an American Bank ATM card and sent the pin# through email. Washington Mutual bank, they also offer free bank transfers overseas. I had to tell the bank to activate the card in SE Asia.

She has to be careful of over-withdrawing (they don't charge the first time it happens!), and even checking the balance is like 150Baht charge, so you have to have good communication and trust to do it this way.

Another way to send money would be an international POSTAL MONEY ORDER. Cheap and safe.

I also let her use my PAYPAL account to buy things online if she likes. One of the banks in Thailand has a paypal/e-banking option for savings accounts also.

I have also sent small amounts of cash in clothing(under the removable pad of a tennis shoe for example), and it got there ok the 2-3 times I tried it.

I like "Don Juan" bar. Cute dek-serve, good beer prices, and a if you don't like it there are a million other bars in Suntitam to try out. Local yocal, so brush up on your Thai, nobody is gonna understand or want to speak English.

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Directions:

If you are heading on HuayKaew towards DoiSuthep from Central, turn right at the first gas station. Then first right, then first left, then straight on until you reach the bar(s) at a T-junction.

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The dance club behind Siam Computer is awesome also. Many "sukois" (the girlfriends of "sebs") there and it is open very late.

or just download HD stuff from the internet.

Interesting...I didn't know there was HD satellite signals available. As for downloading HD material (I assume you mean bittorent HD movies) good luck with that. I would take a month to download that big a file, unless you have some sorta blazing fast internet connection.

To the guy who just wants to watch UBC and has a PS2, I would suggest just going for the biggest CRT ( you know the old school TV with the big tube) you can find that has progressive scanning. As of now CRT is still the best picture quality, black levels and viewing angle and brightness, around.

PS2 games look like crap on LCD and fixed pixel displays, be careful. Just hook it up with a component cable to the CRT and enable progressive scan, I would suggest "Shadow of the Colosuss" or "God of War-2" as a good games to test the picture with since there are the most beautiful and technically advanced PS2 games.

If you can still find them the Sony Wega Super Fine Pitch CRTs are still have the highest rated picture quality to date, support HD widescreen, will look great with your PS2 and non HD material, and all around kick ass. Highly recommended!!

as I own one myself...

http://reviews.cnet.com/direct-view-tvs-cr...36650.html#more

"...makes the 910 irresistible to people who value image quality above everything else."

Hi Sticky again:

I just came across another thread of yours when some guy claiming to be a cop rushed into your house looking for drugs and you told us you went to the Tourist Police. How can you seriously report a matter (and get a police report you claimed) to the Police if you are on an overstay?

Mr Sticky and the Tourist Police

guest house, apartment, motorbike rentals, were never a problem (they never checked), travel I just used a copy of my passport no problem. I wasn't hiding under a rock the whole time, the tourist police didn't ask to see my passport because I didn't file the report myself, my roomate did.

This is not a "hey look at how punk I am" more than a "hey if Thailand is gonna make the rules difficult for someone like myself to live here, then things like this will happen"...

Read the bold parts of my OP again

miss time from work, etc...

So we can assume you are working without the proper paperwork as well?

Nut cases abound methinks

Yes nutcase because I did not finish college...I guess Bill Gates is on your nutcase list too, but he could just come here and buy off the Thai government and you guys would be hanging on his nutsack...

The average cost per month for a legal visa is 2,000 baht per month (combo tourist and 30 day visa waver - visa runs via luxury coach). 67 baht per day. For this price you do not have to worry about looking over your shoulder and you have freedom to travel outside of the country at your pleasure.

It seems we all just create our own prisons.

2,000baht per month to sit on a bus for the whole day and not have anything to eat and not be able to buy anything ( I would not feel comfortable leaving and returning to the country without spending 3,000baht+) and have to show 20,000baht in the bank and miss time from work, etc...

I would guess the real price of visa runs for a year to be around 35,000baht/year to be realistic.

I don't get it, why would the U.S. care if you over stayed in Thailand.

As long as you did not have a stamp that was from Cuba, Iran or N. Korea they would not give a hoot.

Most likely any freinds & family in the U.S. would not even find it funny or an accomplish worth talking about.

I have told them and they don't give a shit really. They agree with me that I shouldn't have to live like a criminal just because the Thai government looks down on people that are not rich or don't have a piece of paper that says they are good at jumping through hoops aka. a college degree.

I know people that have lied to the American Embassy about degrees and money in bank and other things just to get a work permit/visa etc... I didn't have to lie to anyone

And

I am sure your parents are happy to have you back for the third time. LOL

nope. The first 2 times I just went to Laos/Malaysia and walked right back. I was even kinda worried about US immigration and all the crazy visa stamps, but they just waved me ahead of a serious gaggle of CHINESE immigrants and didn't even ask 1 question.

What is the point you are trying to make - or are you a troll?

Yes chris. which of my points don't you agree with?

So yeah. Just got back to the USA after my 3rd long overstay, all of them about 2 years in length. I know... I know, all the old farts and bible thumpers and gonna jump in this thread with doom and gloom and "you should be shot"... I just want those that are overstaying because they are scared of immigration (in Thailand or other countries) to know that they have options, and that they should not be scared to clear things up. So before you guys bust up here with your predictable replies and "hate" just let me say:

1. Yes, I know you will go to jail and be deported if caught (not fun, not cool, hel_l on earth)

2. No, I don't think it is a "good" alternative to doing things legit, but...

3. Not everyone has millions of baht in the bank, a thai wife, a college degree, 20,000baht to show every month, retirement(death) fund, daddy's uncles cousin police chief immigrations friend, etc...

4. And very important: there is no reason to be afraid if you turn yourself in to immigration and pay the maximum fine. Period.

This is not an option for the faint of heart, or those that want to do things by the books, but actually as a friend of mine once said" you have the cheapest visa in Thailand".

Thailand should be applauded by the law and culture behind this option- Turn yourself in, pay the fine, walk.

hdtv's/flat screens/lcds/plasmas are all a scam as far a "normal" TV goes in Thailand. It is a ###### shame that anyone and everyone is going out and buying these things thinking they will get a better picture.

all the new fancy flat screen (30Kbaht+) TVs in Thailand make the picture worse than the joe-smoe 3,000baht normal TVs!

It all comes down to resolution. There is no widescreen/HDTV signal in Thailand, period. Yes...Maybe...DVDs will look better, but even then if you hook it up without knowing what you are doing (for example: not setting the TV to widescreen, no component/progressive scan setting, / red/white/yellow cable hookup aka: the "I don't know shit about modern Televisions/video setup" setting, etc...

As of right now, a modern TV in Thailand is almost completely worthless for the average user ( I don't mean those of us that have PS3's hooked up in 1080p via HDMI, etc...)<---if this doesn't make sense to you then you might be better off buying the 3,000baht rabbit ear set up for you Thai girlfriends soap-operas na...

Me +1 thanks

This Week Sales in Japan:

360 - Established Trend: 2-4k. Next Gen Avg = 6,871. Post Holiday Avg = 4,050.

Wii - Established Trend: 62-68k. Next Gen Avg = 93,353. Post Holiday Avg = 70,234.

PS3 - Established Trend: 7-9k. Next Gen Avg = 31,286. Post Holiday Avg = 17,128.

Results, Analysis, & Expectations

● 360: Established trend of not selling at all. This will not change. 3k now until the the XBOX3 comes out.

● PS3: Established that this is a flop. This will not change. Big titles will give it some life but this thing is dead. 9k-ish until the next 'big' game, and then only a momentary bump.

● Wii: Established that this will sell very well. This will continue, as shipments have definitely solidified. 65-70k for the rest of the summer.

Market Share:

Significant Notes:

● The Wii has extended its lead to 1,862,020 over the PS3.

● 78,532 consoles sold this week. Wii had 83.5% of all console sales, up 4.5% from the previous week.

● The Wii has sold more than 44k for 30 weeks in a row.

● The PS3 has sold less than 10k for 7 weeks in a row.

*now you might say "so what that is only Japan" but the sales numbers for North America and Europe are even more amazing for the Wii. Most video game developers are still based in Japan so when sales of console hardware are so shitty for the PS3 it is only a matter of time before no games are being made for it and it slips into obscurity (think Dreamcast, 3DO, etc...)

Hope you guys had fun with your Playstations while it lasted, Sony is heading straight to bankruptcy and the history books with the stupid mistake of the PS3. Good riddance.

Try "Supan lek" it is a huge underground video game market. You can find almost anything video game related in the world there, new/old/used/copied. There are even shops that do decent buybacks and trade ins, because I think replacing the touchscreen might be more trouble or money and time than is worth it.

Good luck and make sure to post again when when you get it straightened out.

9am a young man enters our house and flashes a gun and says he is "police". He says "you sell yabaa?" (of course we dont) and then proceeds to round up all my roomates (including 2 women, 1 of them pregrant) into a bedroom. He starts to go through our things and finds a purse with some money ~800Baht and then pockets it and walks calmly out.

We were so shocked and upset that it took us a few hours to get the nerve together to visit the Tourist Police.

They were very helpful and assured us that guy was not a cop (or not on duty) and that they would do their best to find him. They came and took photos of our house/rooms and gave us a police report and phone number should he ever show up again.

Be careful out there...

The "kao mok gai" at Chanpuak gate gets a thumbs up from me too. 10baht. wow

SUNTITAM. Student ghetto, 24/7, online gaming, cheap cheap cheap, best local yocal bars in town.

Not for the ex-pats but for the next-pats. Think of the Chiang Mai version of NYC Williamsburg with a 3 beer Chang for 95Baht vibe.

The best. Close thread now.

DS "lite" is selling out all over Japan right now. Big Big sales #s are on the way next month if Nintendo can rev up production to meet demand.

DS sold out!

Here is a DS "lite" being compared to other handhelds, including an I-pod and PSP. You make the call.

Go for the DS in March when they are realising the new DS "lite" version (on right).

Has a better screen, adjustable brightness and is smaller/lighter/more ergonomic and has a better battery, etc...

The DS hardware has been sold out (or in very short supply) in Japan for the last 2 months or so.

They cant make enough for the demand. The games for it are selling very well, some saying it might end up being the most succesful gaming machine and software ever if it keeps this rate up.

Weekly Hardware Sales in Jpn

DS 299,328

PSP 86,403

PS2 45,893

Xbox360 43,970 less than half Xbox1 first debut sales (Xbox360 first week sales=DOA)

GC 12,212

GBASP 10,456

GBM 8,326

GBA 396

Xbox 164

Now I know the guy above me is just semi-trolling, but the recent sales explosion and domination of the DS is not because of a lack of titles!

1/3 of a million DS sales in 1 week...Yeah its dead...

Dont even get me started on Million sellers and top 50 charts for software. PSP and its games are nowhere to be seen.

Nintendo is the only console gaming related company that made a profit in 2005, so take that "Nintendo is Doomed" shit

over to www.myfirstgamingmessageboard.com. Kthxbye

Turok how is Mario Kart DS? I will be down in BKK at the end of the month to pick it up. Maybe we can get together for some drinks and gaming?

Online gaming.

I think this is the new Yaabaa of Thailand. A form of entertainment in Thailand that most adults have no clue about. If you ask the local Somporn and Boonmee: "What is the cheapest most readily available drug and vice in Thailand at the moment ?", you will realize they have no idea.

Most Adult Thais have no clue about what goes on 24/7 in internet cafes across the country. Games like Ragnarok/Pangya/Warcraft are taking over and the only thing we see are snippets of news like "ID checks past 10" or "Online gang beats up kid" or whatever.

But the real situation is much deeper than that. This is a new sub-culture fueled by low internet costs ( a recent invention I would say with in the last 5 years or so) and a huge amount of free time. We all know how much of that the Thais, and those of us who actually post on this board, have...

Actually I have online gaming to thank for my skill in reading Thai. Since I play and enjoy these games I have things to talk about with my students and I see a slice of how the Thai language is really used without the Ps around. Not alot of "krup" online BTW.

Whatever. Things like online gaming, SKYPE, MSN messenger, are just a fad...

Sleep tight

Check Nintendo.com for all the technical details.

You could also find help on the gamefaqs.com boards.

I think Nintendo is considered kiddie more so by the "casual" gaming crowd.

You could own an Xbox or even play a shitload of games and still be a "casual" gamer.

It is hard to describe. It would be like talking about movies with your friends and they keep bringing up "Matrix Reloaded" or "Titanic", while you go on about Quentin, or Coppala, etc...

You can really tell who has been playing games for decades instead of years by bringing up titles like Ikaruga, Virtua Fighter 4, Metroid Prime, Mr. Driller, and getting blank stares and maybe a reply like "dude have you seen the grafix on Doom3??!!"

There is a certain blandness/shallowness that -Playstation-/Xbox games have brought to the table, like skimming through a copy of Maxim and tossing it away after you squeak one off in the bathroom.

Of course there are gems here and there, but mostly it is just disposable fluff.

With alot Nintendo titles, they just screams polish and class.

I could find over 100 hours of deep and enjoyable gameplay in Mario Golf for GameBoy, that is missing in the over the top God of Wars/Halo/Madden Football titles on other consoles.

When somebody tells me they own a GameCube I think "hardcore gamer".

I have been gaming for almost 30 years, have studied Japanese and lived in Tokyo just to get closer to the heart of this culture, and have spent countless unreturnable hours and money on this one consuming hobby, but I still meet people (gaming-age.com) who are way way way more into games than me.

I think they would feel the same way I do about console ownership:

owning 2 is better than 1. 3 is better than 2. And having an open mind and not letting "kiddie

grafix" stand between your masculinity and non-nerdness ( they are all games, when it comes down to it. It is just a toy for nerdy man boys and always will be no matter how many hookers you beat down in GTA3)

is the real gaming spirit.

Handheld Nintendo games. Never heard of them.

No really. I spend more time with my DS than with my TV consoles. I even use them in english class (pictochat) as a fun way to review vocab/lessons and play hangman/trivia/chat with younger students.

DS games are around 1500B+ and there isnt a cheap/easy way to copy them for now (it can be done though).

For the online games you have to have a wireless router or buy a special "dongle" from Nintendo, I think you could even pick one up from MBK. I havent yet so I will have to wait for a month or 2 until I can get down to BKK for some more game shopping.

Good to see such a strong gaming community in Thailand!