ZOVOX

I have just been offered a business called 'THE GIFT STATION'. I believe it's a franchise, but i haven't been able to find any information on the internet about it. Does anybody know anything about this franchise ?

I am thinking of starting a new business, and needs some general tips on how to get my website noticed.

If you get cable, you can cancel the subscription, then get a pirate decoder box and watch UBC for free - just make sure you're out when the cable man comes to turn it off. My ex-girlfriends been doing for over three years.

BBC prime is still better than most of the channels on UBC.

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Maybe one had to have lived there... I feel the complete opposite, except I'd say all the UBC channels

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Ajarn, You have to be a brit to appreciate the BBC !

Is BBC Prime only  on UBC ?

I don't get UBC, but I can get BBC World just by tuning in my television to the right frequency.

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BBC world and BBC prime are two different channels. No, you can't get BBC world through your aerial, but it is free to air on a few satellites above Thailand - you just have to install a massive 8ft dish and decoder to get it.

I agree with ya ! But, sadly, BBC prime is still better than most of the channels on UBC.

I'll do both, though I've heard it's expensive. I just want to save all my stock footage, i'll do the editing later when I get a laptop, though I've done most of it as I've gone along.

Most half decent photo shops can do this or should I seek a specialist at Pantip perhaps?

Zovox: Branded discs?  ...If they're not savvy to that in the Kodak shop, do you mean decent quality blanks?

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Branded discs means they have the makers name on the top. Unbranded discs are of varying quality, and when it comes to DVD burning it best to go for a good branded disc like TDK, and i heard the grade 'a' ritek discs are good also. With VCD it is less important, because there are less compatibilty issues with VCD or CDs in general.

Thai DVD players play some DVD's and all VCD's, some play any DVD's, CD's and VCD's.

I want some video footage (Sony DV cassette) transfered to a disc that I will be able to play on a U.K. DVD player.

Do U.K. DVD players play VCD's and if not, is there a particular format of DVD that I need to request the video's be burned on to, or would it simply be a case of having them burned onto DVD's and using a 'decoded' DVD player in the U.K. that is able to play DVD's from all reigons?

Also, in my experience, home DVD's, as with many copies, lose their quality extreemly quickly...  What is the best brand of blank to buy and will photoshops use decent ones or the cheapest?

Thanks again folks,

Scampy.

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I would convert to DVD, otherwise you'll lose a lot of the picture quality. If you do convert to VCD, u.k dvd players will play them no problem, even though it may not mention it in the manual, because the VCD format never took off in the U.K. When converting to DVD, make sure they use branded discs, or you'll probably get compatibility problems. Forget region coding, they won't put region codes on home vids.

Saved almost 100,000 baht, have work permit and passport, will possibly be off to China or Korea in a couple of months, for a couple of months.

It's not vital that I would be able to use the account there but it would be useful.

Money is currently stored in a safe but I want to open an account.

There's a Bangkok bank near me but I've heard Siam Commercial is better, there's also that yellow one, now are they all pretty much the same or is there one in particular I should go for?

Cheers in adv.

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Siam commercial is good. If you were going for longer and had a bit more cash, i would suggest the HSBC bank.

Not looking for a serviced apartment though.

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If you are not looking for serviced apartments, you will probably find that most private apartments are 3-4 bedroom ones and rent for 20k and above monthly. On your budget, i don't think you'll have a lot to choose from, so you may not get the area you want - Good luck !

I am looking for an apartment with a 3-month minimum contract.  I am thinking around the 10,000-13,000k /month range

Can I get something half-decent for that price?  I am basically looking for a 1-bedroom, furnished, where I can get my own internet connection set up.

Are there any good places to go and look such as:

-web sites

-magazines/newspapers

-particular estate agents (catering to expats)

Appreciate any comments 

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The best place to look for accomodation in bangkok, is the classifieds in the bangkok post. There is info on the web, but it is often out of date. Most serviced apartments have phone lines which cut-off after a set period of time - usually half an hour, so no good for prolonged internet use. The only serviced apartments that i know of that used to have unlimited telephone use is 'King royal garden', which is located next to the blue elephant restaurant, just below surasak bts station. Another option you have is to get a private apartment, which can also be found in the bangkok post, and there's also a new estate agents opened up that is run by a farang and caters for farang also, but the rents do seem a bit pricey. They are located about 150yds to the right of the emporium on sukhumvit.

I recently moved into a house in a new housing estate, and i noticed that many thai people convert the front of their houses to run small businesses e.g hairdresers or little minimarts. Do these home businesses have to be registered, and how are they taxed, or do they just pay the usual 5% on any income they make ?

Generally speaking, Thais like to buy new houses. This is not to say you cannot sell an old house, but it has to be at a good price. My wife and her friends refer to old houses as 'second hand', and like all second hand goods, they expect to get a good discount. Also, many people bought property during the property boom, and still trying to off-load the property at the same price as they bought it. If you look in Bangkok, many old houses are the same price as new ones, so why buy an old house ! For these reasons, the property market in LOS is slow - with a few exceptions in touristy areas - and it is imposible to find a good estate agent. So my advice to you is to rent, unless you plan to live in Thailand for a long time in the same property !

What would happen if the kids enter with their Foreign Passports asnd leave with their Thai passports ?

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I don't know what they do in Thailand, but i had a similar situation in Hong Kong, and i simply went to the immigration in HK and had the stamp in my foreign passport cancelled - i'm sure that Thailand has a similar cancellation stamp, and it is unlikely that you would be charged or anything for overstay because you are a Thai citizen.

I tried a search for the code on my Samsung E218, no luck, also these discs don't work on my cheapo Aconatic player either.

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It's probably not a region issue. The problem is that they are dvd-r copies. Firstly, you should try a better brand of disc - cheap media has more compatibility problems. Secondly, it could be the setting you use to copy the dvds i.e bitrate, compression - try another piece of dvd copy software and use the default settings.

You should do a TT (telegraphic transfer by SWIFT) transfer. You have to pay a fee, but the banks usually offer a better rate of exchange for tt transfers, and for large sums like 30k sterling, it will more than cover the fee. Generally speaking, it is best to send the money in sterling and the thai bank will convert it in Thailand, but best to check the tt transfer rates for both banks on their website. Also, the fees you should pay at the u.k banks end i.e senders end, because the money will probably go through an intermediate bank and they can whack a hefty fee if you choose not to pay all the fees in the u.k !

When she innocently grabs my hand and calls me "Papa" or pulls me down so that she can give me a kiss on the cheek, well I'm sorry, but no amount of social stigma or funny looks can replace those precious moments or the wonderful feeling that she gives me.

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I know exactly what you mean. To the OP, forget what anybody else thinks - just do what you feel is right !

Hi, where can I find nicest cakes in Bangkok? Or any website that I can purchase online? Thanks 

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The best cakes in Bangkok i've seen are in the cake shop on the ground floor of Isetan dept. store. they are very luxurrious and some are about 1000 baht for one. If you want something cheaper, 'seefah' on Thonglor ain't bad.

Hey anonymo. I havent posted in this thread but have been following it. You say that the family have removed this guy from the family unit. Where is he now? You say that you are happy with that. This is good. But please dont let this go. Tell the authorities. He WILL do it again. Get this sicko locked up if possible. I work with kids and if i ever thought anyone was doing things to them. God help the fiddler. Anyway mate look after these kids. They will love you so much for it. But i would try and get this ######er done. Either by the law or  other means. Good luck mate. Do let us all know how things go from here.

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Thanks for your post Jockstar.

The offender is still in the same town which is not acceptable, if I did say that I was happy with it then I mis-typed.

My priority was to have him moved away from the immediate vicinity and focus on the girls - I have no idea what psychological effect this experience will have on them, this is beyond anything that I have ever had to deal with before, but I do know that they need help to deal with it and I am working hard to find the right people to do this.

Once I am happy that all has been done that can be done to help the girls then I will get on with dealing with the offender.

The situation is complicated - no surprise there - there are many factors that I have not posted and find hard to detail. Having said earlier in this discussion that I will not post again on this subject I now think that I will spend some time in the future trying to explain the whole situation - I'm sure that the people who have helped me, the doubting Thomas's and other people finding themselves in a similar situation in the future may appreciate as full a story as I am able to provide.

Thanks for your good wishes.

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Anonymo, i think you've handle the situation well and done the right thing in a very difficult situation. Your priority now is the well being of the kids. As for going after the individual further, in the west, i wouldn't hesitate to go to the authorities, but here in Thailand it is different - i wouldn't do anything unless you know the right people to protect yourself.

Thank you everyone for your good advice.

My Fiancee is in the process of applying for a settlement visa for the UK,  is it more benificial for us ( for the visa application ) to have the full legal marriage in thailand as opposed to just having the Religious ceremony and party etc...

Does the Embassy look more favourably at applicants who are legally married in Thailand first before they get married in the UK ?   

Thank you

Clive Sorts

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Once you are legally married in Thailand i.e registered at amphur, the marriage is legally recognised in the u.k - that's is why i suggested you get a certified translation of thai marriage certificate to take to the u.k - so there is no need to marry again in the u.k. Consequently, i would imagine that it is looked upon more favourably by the embassy.

You'll need to come in person if you wish to marry in Thailand, because you'll have to sign documents at the registrar (amphur office). I don't think anybody has mentioned it, but if you plan to live in U.K, get a certified translation of the Thai marriage certificate at the U.K embassy.

I have a PS2 and PS2 games and movie DVDs from here in the US and would they be OK/compatible in Thailand?Are there electric converter power switches that can be used to plug in several 110 V appliances.I think my Toshiba Satellite laptop and Samsung flat monitor have 110-220 V power switchability so can I just plug them into any Thai outlet?I also love my HP multifunction and am unsure about its electric requirements but should I forgt about bringing it over due to lack to HP replacement ink cartridges there or are HP printers popular and available there?

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You can easily get electrical transformers for your ps2 machine here. Good idea to get it chipped, so you can play copied games. buying copied DVDs are no problem because they are 'all region'. Most (if not all) Tvs here are multi-system, so you'll have no problems plugging in your ps2, and playing your existing DVD and ps2 games collection.

Your laptop and samsung monitor will plug straight into the mains, but you may need a plug adapter, which you can easily buy here.

You did not mention the model of your printer, but HP printers are available here, so you should have no problems getting cartridges.

My husband & I have been talking about buying some land in Khon Kaen when we come back to LOS in March & I want to ask which is the best way to protect both our interests.

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My wife and her family have some land in Khon Kaen going cheap. PM me, if you're interested. BTW, my step-daughter loves your Avatar !

Sadly, such cases are way to common in Thailand. I don't think going to the police would do much good, as the child welfare here is not up to much, and sometimes it is the police who are the abusers: my wife told me of a case just recently involving the police. Your first priorty is to protect the children ! You say that he was a close friend and that he is not an immediate member of the family; I would have it out with him and use the GUILTY until proven innocent principal in this case. Unless he can convince you he didn't do it, i would make sure he is isolated from the immediate family. Also, the suggestion for a medical check-up is a good one. GOOD LUCK !!

But 02 are landlines in Bangkok.

NOT mobiles.

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I think '02' refers to the mobile phone company in the U.K - not the dialling code in thailand.