khunPer

There are numerous of small electronic repair shops. I've seen a few on the Ring Road in Bang Por and also used on of them. You will typically find them off major tourist areas – rent on a main road there too high – but perhaps in some the sois.

There is a new online system since September this year – link HERE – the old system don't work anymore, and no data has been transferred, so your landlord needs to register again.

Please let the children's carousel owner in the local shopping mall aware of that "Jingle Bells" is a Xmas-tune, and not something to be player all year round, while "Brother Jones, Are You Sleeping" is not the right choice for Xmas. It seems like the turning device only has that two tunes stored in the music-library. In December Jingle Bells would however be the right choice, in my modest opinion... The pan-flute souvenir-seller walking on the beach in front of my house also plays the first part of Jingle Bells, unfortunately he doesn't seem to know other songs for pan flute... As you say, OP, it's a country were Xmas has no tradition the farang-way, so hard to know what is music especially for that season. I presume that we foreigners have the same problem with seasonal Thai music...

In my Scandinavian home country it's a bit the other way round. Before common Internet the young nude girls that appeared in the tabloid newspapers, gossip magazines and men's magazines were from just 15 years old; now you won't see any under 18, more likely they are up in their 20'ies. The law is tighter now, were nude images on anybody under 18 years of age might be considered child pornography. A tabloid newspaper even recently withdraw their files on the Internet with old-time pages of – in today's view too young – nude girls. Before social media and online dating, there were other ways for young girls to meet men in exchange of money. The "new normal" seems to it's online – and more easy to attend – however, just like before, where you has to buy a magazine or visit certain places, you need to browse certain online media or pages with that potential type of content...

When reading the various news stories about free insurance for tourist, longer nightlife opening hours and now lower alcohol tax, it seems like the tourist target has change from the previous so-called "quality tourists" – who in my understanding were able to afford travel insurance, not especially aiming for late nightlife and didn't mind if alcohol were a few baht cheaper or not per drink when signing the bill in a many star hotel – to budget level...

Yes, they spray inside for both mosquitos and termites. If you have seen what termites can eat inside, you'll understand; and you might not notice before the whole inside of a delicious gourmet wood-structure has be digested like my cupboard...

I always look at the locals, when predicting about winter... And YES, I'm afraid it's going to be an utterly cold winter, the locals on Koh Samui have collected a huge number of logs for firewood for their central steam-heater…

Little hard to see that saving 4% on the freight rate might not be that interesting.

Probably not the same people as most of those in need for borrowing money from loan sharks. Interest rate of 0.75% per month equals 9% p.a. More if interest is actually added per month, but that – interest per month or just "0.75 baht" – is normally the way to express interest rate in Thailand; it might however be calculated quarterly of semi-annually.

Please read gain: OP has an extension till June/July and wish to renew his passport before applying for next extension of stay.

You cannot. You need to keep the 800k in the bank until three month after your extension of stay has been granted, and you furthermore need to upgrade the deposit again to 800k bah two month before you next time apply for an extension of stay. By that time you can apply for extension based on marriage and withdraw 400k baht. The reason is, that the present extension of stay has been granted on basis of retirement with a deposit in a Thai bank. If you default on that, you default your extension of stay and shall in principle leave the country. You cannot extend you stay, if the previous extension is breached. However, go and talk to your local immigration office, if they will permit you to change method before your present extension of stay ends.

It's depending on the local immigration office, how the 90-days are counted. Some places continously counts from last entry date, others – like where I live – resets the count by each extension of stay.

It's possible with a bit of training, a lion is excellent to jump and can easily jump into the back seat of a convertible Maserati. The trick is to learn the lion that the back seat is the lion's safe place. You need to buy the convertible Maserati before the lion, otherwise the lion cannot learn that it's the back seat of the Maserati, which is the safe place. If you wish you learn more about lion-training, I'll recommend you to George Keller's book...

I wai often – following the local tradition and wai people I know, or wai back when they wai me first. There is a kind of status, who shall wai first, which might be little complicated for a foreigner. But good friends, I gladly wai as first, and people I know of higher status, including elder people. Otherwise I return wai, when someone I know wai to me – I'm considered of high enough local status to be a person, who some shall wai first – but of course I don't wai back to shop attendants and like, where you are not supposed to wai back, but I can thank for their politeness with a little nod. Polite respectful wai to elders in the community has over time given me lots of benefits.

How do you know... Many thanks for the kind offer, but I don't wish your life-style, and especially not after 10 pints; I hate beer and therefore never drinks it... PS: I already have a marvelous life...

Interesting subject, very interesting. Yes, I switched from curious atheist to FSM (Flying Spaghetti Monster), after I found out that I'm more into facts than beliefs. Especially after I realized that Buddhism has no specific god, so there is place for everyone to pick and follow a good way of behave and live. FSM better describes my interest in facts, but still with an open curious seeking mind, and with a reasonable amount of goof humor for longevity; even that I look forward to the afterlife up in that kind of party-heaven His Noodliness has created. Before I had en feeling of reincarnation and rebirth – perhaps I've been down here before, if I trust my dreams – but I'm becoming more and more suspicious, if there is anything at all beyond this life; even that the history is full of reincarnation events. I've actually read quite a bit about this extremely interesting subject, but have over time become more skeptic. Resurrected or return? If I'm resurrected my soul – or whatever it might be – will end somewhere up there in heavenly spheres; hopefully in the "party-heaven". If I'm reborn – or rather some om my thoughts or whatever spirit or soul is – I might end up with dreams and curious questions about the possibility of reincarnation. If I end up as something in between this life and resurrection or rebirth, I'll probably become a ghost, or rather an irritating poltergeist, who likes to teaser other; i.e. the living ones. So far I've decided and wrote in my will, that my physical remains just shall be burned and nothing else done. I have moved on, one or other way. Funeral and ceremonies are for those still here – not me, I'm already gone – so if any left has a need, they are welcome, if it can help, but don't do anything, believing that it's for me or my wish. If you have any good things you wish to say to me, then say it now, and not at a funeral ceremony, when I'm already gone.

For three month you might rather look at a travel insurance with repatriation to your home country.

Yes, and but not the date that his pasport expires, and he wish to get a new one before his extension of stay. Please read OP again, the questions is about valid visa in the old passport, when he get his new one, before next application for extension of stay: I have an extension stay till next year around june / july . however my passport will be expiring soon . I am travelling out of thailand and then coming back a month later with my new passport . in this case ,what happens to my extension of stay ? what should i do in this scenario ? I appreciate any advice / helpful info .

To my knowledge, NOT if it's a partnership limited; the four Thai employees are for a company limited.

You cannot get an extension of stay for longer duration than your passport. Get a new one before you extend your stay. If travel abroad you might also have problems with a passport with less than 6 month duration.

By my experience the max allowed decibel level in Thailand equals max volume on your amplifier...

If you read again, OP asks about how to to do with existing extension extension of stay. He don't mention when his passport expires, but he says that he already has an extension of stay until June/July next year and is changing his passport before the extension of stay expires. In that way, he will have a new passport for his next application for extension of stay.

Not if you read, what so far has been said by the government – saving might be taxed as interest.

Of course he exists – I've even met him... – and my CCTV also snapped him, when delivering gifts for Xmas to my house here in Thailand...

If I was you, I would do it before 1st January, as we still don't know any details about how transfers eventual will be taxed from next year; I actually transferred savings for my next car this month of same reason. You can deposit the funds in a fixed account for best interest – for example 3 month or longer – if you are not going to use the money right away. Note that the banks guarantee is 1 million baht, so if you feel unsafe, you can split the savings over a number of banks. So-called Fund Books with low risk are also a possibility, I use that, as there is no binding period to obtain gain/interest.