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Posts posted by Gsxrnz
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In the photo...spot the criminal ?
Probably all of them.
I think that was the very point that Soutpeel was making.
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I'm stunned. Asked the missus a few months ago about the number of weeks in a year (as a suggestion in another TV thread) and got the answer 48. I explained why it's 52 and she beat herself up for getting it wrong. She's no slug and has nearly completed her accounting degree as an adult student. She's OK with numbers and has occasionally spotted mistakes on a handwritten bill at restaurants etc., but I've never really probed her maths as such.
I just asked her the 2/5 question, she gives me a sideways look and says "point four, or maybe 40%". I asked her why and she shows me on a calculator. I asked her why again and she drags out her phone translator and gives me a lesson on numerators and denominators while she did the simple algebra on paper. I mean, I knew the answer but if I had to do the simple algebra I'd be struggling after all these years.
I double checked by asking her what's 9/4 and she said 2.25 straight off. I need a beer!!!
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More likely he was on his way to set up a fake checkpoint and earn his daily bread.
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Fondest memory was the first time I rode a scooter in Thailand. Rush hour at the Pattaya 2nd Road and Tai intersection. In a pack of 50+ bikes when the lights turned green......and I thought I was going to miss circuit racing.
That first traffic light frenzy was as big a buzz as any flag drop in a superbike race, and continues to be so.
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True enough remark, I remember my Swiss wife wandering around the city centre in Yorkshire ooking for 'Curry Sauce'. She battled on and eventually they said 'oh, you mean 'curry sauce!'. I understood ok..
I have this problem all the time in Thai. Asked the vendor (in Thai) at the golf course for 2 bottles of water and a bottle of orange juice. Ow nam pblaow soong kuart, laew gaw, nam som kuart nung kap.
I get the <deleted> look from him so I repeat it. Another <deleted> look. I ask him (in English) if he speaks English. He says yes.
I say "gimme a cupla tubes of h2O an' one o' them wee thingies of OJ". Confused look - I repeat the request - still confused. I ask him in English if he's a Thai person - yes he says.
I say "Ow nam pblaow soong kuart, laew gaw, nam som kuart nung kap."
Instant understanding. Go figure!
(apologies for the bad transliteration, so many versions in the books I have that I've invented my own shorthand)
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They should try and organise a piss up in a brewery first.
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Another piss and wind statement from the government.......and I use the word "government" very loosely to describe the former and current administrators of Thailand.
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BIB shut the place down for selling counterfeit coffee.
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You travel here once a year right? You're unclear what currency the offshore bank account is held in - I assume Thai baht? All sounds like too much trouble for your annual hols. And believe me, when banks move currencies, there is always a margin made, so I think your friend is probably exaggerating somewhat on the supposed benefits.
Your best bet is open a Thai bank account. Total cost say 500B for the ATM card and a 150 one off admin fee.
TT money to your Thai account at a time and exchange rate that is suitable to you - your domestic bank will have a charge of say $20. Or if you have online banking, you may have a lower fee.
Or, bring cash with you and deposit it to your Thai account.
There is no minimum amount you need to keep in your Thai account, so no need for dead money.
If you only use your bank's ATM's, zero cost. No annual account fees.
Your total annual cost for holidaying in Thailand (after you open your account) can be zero, or $20..........up to you.
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The trick is to avoid eye contact with the BIB and cruise on past.
Dollars to donuts he's not going to jump in front of you or chase you, and unless his mia-noi gave him a really hard time the night before, he probably won't shoot you in the back either.
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What is it with Thai handyman toolkits and the lack of tools. Most don’t even have an actual box, they just have them in their pocket.
The local moo baan handyman arrives today to remove an old and partially rotted pergola type structure from my backyard. He’s demolishing it piece by piece with a hammer, and it’s taking him forever and making a helluva mess. His toolkit is one hammer.
I wouldn’t start the job without a hammer, pinch bar, and a saw at the very least. He’s made sod all progress in 2 hours and I reckon I would have nearly finished it and been looking forward to my first beer by now.
Reminds me of the electrician that arrived with nothing but a screwdriver, and the handyman that had a hammer, a 100 year old monkey wrench, a hacksaw blade, and a screwdriver. That screwdriver saw service as a screwdriver, a pinch bar, a hammer, and a cold chisel when he replaced my water pump.
I know tools can be expensive, but even for 1,000 baht these guys could set themselves up with a few luxuries, such as a hacksaw handle or a decent adjustable spanner.
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I've rented four houses in Jomtien. Always been lucky in that you call the number on the sign and the "owner" or sometimes the owner's friend will meet you there and show you around. Nosy neighbours have made themselves known to us as we inspect, or the local moo baan manager also arrives and checks us out.
It soon becomes fairly clear that all parties are aware of the validity of each other, so it gives a feeling of security.
I only offer 5,000 deposit when I sign the lease and only pay the bond and one months rent on the day I move in and have the keys. If they don't like it well there's only a few thousand other houses to rent within a 5klm radius.
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OP - in your home country would you consider renting a house or a property that you intended to spend money on without a formal lease or legal agreement, and also pay a years rent in advance?
If the answer is NO, then why the hell would you do it in a foreign country?
If the answer is YES, then you obviously have no common sense at all and should consider this a cheap lesson on how not to set yourself up to be a victim.
If you want to label all Thais dishonest because of one landowners actions, then I suppose all people from your country can be labelled idiots by default.
"There are only two races on this planet - the intelligent and the stupid." -John Fowles
This lady had been a close family friend for around 40 years, I dont know about your friends but mine of that length dont do this sort of crap, maybe your friends are not trustworthy or you pay them to be friends but I know without a doubt mine in Australia are and they would help me in an instant if I needed it. If you cant trust close friends you have had for 40 years who can you trust, yes I left out some once in my rant but I was pretty pissed off when I wrote it but I did point out that I was referring to thai FRIENDS at the end of it, not everyone in Thailand. You must be a sorry little man if you dont have any friends you can trust, I took this lady on my wifes families say so, to do otherwise would have been an insult to them all and probably caused conflict, at the moment thay are all pretty down as they have lost face over this and I will not add to their dissapointment in this lady. Maybe you dont have anyone close to you but I do, my wife and her family, they are a big part of my life here and I will not do anything that will hurt/harm them, all you seem to care about is yourself.
I have scruples, you dont screw close friends or family, you also trust your them.
I'll ignore all the aspersions about my character. I did label you an idiot with no common sense, so you're entitled to throw some <deleted> back.
Even in Australia they have a government department charged with settling family/friend disputes. Families and close friends have extremely high levels of disputes over land, estates, loans, money, agreements etc. The reason for this is because in general, family and "life long friends" believe they can trust each other and as you put it, "you don't screw close friends or family".
I wish this were 100% true but unfortunately it is not. I applaud you for your ethics and can only assume that you have always been true to your code.
As for me, I have a few friends here and at home that I would trust with my life (but maybe not with my wife), and have friends that would (and do) trust me with theirs. Unfortunately when it comes to the predicament you find yourself in, friendships are tested and it all comes down to the dollars. I've seen good friendships of many years break down over as little as a $500 loan, or the borrowed sand wedge that was borrowed and never returned - stupid little things.
I recently loaned a friend of 3 years 600,000 baht. It got him out of a major problem and probably saved him 50,000 baht in the long run (long story). I drafted a loan contract (copied from an Oz bank document and edited), had his Oz lawyer and Estate Executor acknowledge the loan and verify in writing that it was valid and that in the event of death I had a claim on his estate in Australia. I also received assurances that his estate was sufficient to cover my claim. Repayment dates were stipulated and interest was charged. I had to use my overdraft so only charged him the same as it cost me. I therefore did a favour for a friend and I had virtually zero risk.
EDIT: I should explain that I like this chap a lot and did not want to put our friendship at risk. I set it up so that even though he expected to be able to pay me back in a few months, if he was not able to, the contract allowed for this and even if I had to wait 20 years until he died, I had very little risk and it would not have bothered me.
He's since repaid the money plus interest. Everyone is happy and he's eternally thankful. My point being......when it comes to property or money between friends, there is absolutely no reason not to enter into a contract so everybody knows what the terms and conditions of the agreement are.
Quite simple really.
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We also had a similar leak in our Bangkok condo. We reported it to the juristic person. They then investigated it and arranged for it to be fixed. Took about 2 minutes of my time. And I didn't even have to asked what to do on thai visa.
I sometimes cringe at some of the question on here, and how many expats can't do the simplest of things. Why do they have to complicated everything?
Property developer or age of property is irrelevant. A water leak can happen in both new and old properties. That's life.
Glad I'm not the only one that cringes. Darwin's theory is obviously not 100% accurate.
I'm waiting for the "got a flat tyre, what do I do now" post.
Well that one's easy. You create a new topic on Thai Visa asking if Thai law allows you to get a discount from the place you bought the car, as it now has a flat tyre. No need to repair it, just make sure you get a discount. If not possible, then dump car and buy a new one. After all, why should you put up with a flat tyre. There are plenty of cars without flat tyres, so it's easier to get one of those.
You propose the hypothesis very well. Now I'm worried that a post such as the one you described actually exists......please don't tell me it was a cut and paste from an actual TV post!!
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The "regular brigade posters that have neglected the thread for six days already" brigade.
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Contract or not this attitude is typical Thai, no 2 doubts about that.
Sigh..........
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We also had a similar leak in our Bangkok condo. We reported it to the juristic person. They then investigated it and arranged for it to be fixed. Took about 2 minutes of my time. And I didn't even have to asked what to do on thai visa.
I sometimes cringe at some of the question on here, and how many expats can't do the simplest of things. Why do they have to complicated everything?
Property developer or age of property is irrelevant. A water leak can happen in both new and old properties. That's life.
Glad I'm not the only one that cringes. Darwin's theory is obviously not 100% accurate.
I'm waiting for the "got a flat tyre, what do I do now" post.
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OP - in your home country would you consider renting a house or a property that you intended to spend money on without a formal lease or legal agreement, and also pay a years rent in advance?
If the answer is NO, then why the hell would you do it in a foreign country?
If the answer is YES, then you obviously have no common sense at all and should consider this a cheap lesson on how not to set yourself up to be a victim.
If you want to label all Thais dishonest because of one landowners actions, then I suppose all people from your country can be labelled idiots by default.
"There are only two races on this planet - the intelligent and the stupid." -John Fowles
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Haven't tried this particular stuff.
I've used Chain Wax for years. There is no "consistency" to the wax and it doesn't pick up grit and sand. The chain always looks clean, especially if you have coloured links. Applying the spray wax is easy and no chance of throwing anything onto the tyre, plus it doesn't build up as sludge in the front sprocket casing.
Best to apply it when the chain is hot and wait at least 30 minutes before riding to avoid any fling. Overnight is best. Standard practice for me is to oil the chain immediately after a ride.
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I am little lost, where and how does 2 road join up to theaparsit?
I'm assuming it's Jomtien 2nd Road - but, at that location, I think it's Thappraya Road.
Yeah it is Thap Phraya Road, but from Phratamnak Road intersection all the way to Chaiyaphruek Road and beyond, it's being called Jomtien 2nd Road by more and more people out this way. Rightly or wrongly.
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...and now I know why I see people wearing sunglasses in go-go's.
OR massage parlours. ........................
Sooner or later they'll start banning sunglasses in go-go's... and they'll be looking very closely at prescription glasses.
Time to break out the IMF video contact lenses me thinks.
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Just remembered something I was told last week, haven't tried it myself yet but this bloke swears by it.
If stopped, and assuming you have a Thai licence, don't offer it and if asked for it say you left it at home. See if they want to do you for anything else (speeding, wrong lane, wrong coloured T-shirt, being ugly or whatever), and progress from there.
Most alleged infringements are bogus anyway, so if they were going to try you on for speeding, they may decide to forget that and just do you for no licence as it's a fait accompli if they think you haven't got one. And then hey presto - oh I DO have my licence on me.
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...and now I know why I see people wearing sunglasses in go-go's.
Shhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!
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Paid one "fine/bribe" of 200 baht for not keeping left in the truck - fair enough.
Been stopped maybe a dozen times for licence check, never a problem as have Thai licence and bike and car rego at all times. Now I try and not stop if I can avoid them.
Got a parking fine - 400 baht - fair enough. I didn't understand the bribe system back then so actually paid the fine and spent 3 hours trying to find the BIB to get my licence back.
Had a major T-bone with the truck that I thought was my fault. BIB said no, other drivers fault. They fine her 400 baht for dangerous driving.
BIB close to BKK hit me for a 2,000 baht bribe for speeding and wrong lane in the Expressway - negotiated down to 200 baht when he saw that I wasn't as green as I'm cabbage looking, and spoke enough pidgin Thai to tell him that in Pattaya the going rate is 200 baht and I'm about to drive off anyway and your scooter won't catch me - 200 baht, up to you?
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thai daughter refuses to speak english in front of thai's
in Family and Children
Posted · Edited by Gsxrnz
I think you've hit the nail on the head. Combination of fear of the Thai elders as well as them probably encouraging her not to speak English. The OP hasn't said how good his Thai is, but after 10 years he should be able to pick up if she is being coerced into only speaking Thai.
Mind you, hearing some Leuk Kreungs speaking English can grate. Heard a 12 or 13 year old talking to his Dad at Central Festival in the broadest Yorkshire accent I've ever heard, including the thee's and thou's. He must confuse the bejeesus out of his Thai English teacher.