ArtfulD

Im at Nong Palai (Pattayaish) and nothing here for two days..Usenet is working fine tho. Usenet for the win!

Edit:Steam client isnt updating/logging in for me either...not sure if thats connected...

Bumrungrad found out I had a fracture in my lower neck and multiple hairline fractures in my lower spine when Bangkok Pattaya and Pattaya International just called it back pain due to my underlying Arthritis. I know what my base line pain level is and the first two hospitals just didnt listen to me or wish to investigate. Also I was admitted to Bumrungrad with zero deposit, they picked me up in Pattaya by ambulance, admitted, X-Rays, MRI scan, 1 night and 2 CT Scans before they came calling for first payments. The amount of scans was not overkill, due to my spinal deformaties and low bone density it was a pretty hard job to detect...but they kept listening to me that I was certain it wasnt just a "bad back"!

About 2 weeks stay cost 400,000..I did stay in an expensive room however and had a major amount of scans, + some very expensive Arthritis medication. I have to self insure also even tho im only 31.

How to change IDE to AHCI on a pre-installed system...

Its easy when you know how!

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922976

I had to do it myself a week ago...

it is a requirement of UK law that if you own a TV set, you must have a TV Licence (BBC subscription) whether you watch the BBC or not... There is no choice, you must pay for the BBC (or break the law)

Incorrect. You need to learn your law. If you want to bring "UK law" into this debate (which is totally irrelevant by the way - as all of you Yellows seem very good at), tell me, if I owned a handheld TV in the UK, would I need a licence? Or a Black and white TV? Or a UHF radio receiver? What are you going to reply to this I wonder? Bringing "law" into the debate opens all kinds of cans of worms, like killing 51 of your own people using taxpayers money. Think about it.

There are different prices for colour and black and white tv licences...and yes if you own a TV you need a TV licencse...the clues are in the wording "TV License" not "Can Watch BBC License"....Numpty. Are you even from the UK?! You can argue with the BBC as long as you want "I dont watch anything from the BBC" you still have to pay!!

My mother got her retirement visa on the 1st of Aug this year while my father came over on a Non-Imm Multi O on the 7th Oct, were looking to get my father onto a retirement also but with finances tied up in term deposits etc and varying date requirements for 800k seasoning its proving a problem thinking of the best way to go about it.

Is it possible to add my father as a dependant onto my mothers retirement visa? Or is it done at the time of my mothers application?

Failing that, if I have 800k seasoned for my fathers retirement visa, 2 months later my mother will need to start seasoning her 800k, is it possible to just top up the previous 800k that I used for my father?

Hi, in the next couple of weeks I will be going to get a ED Visa from KL and was wondering on the ability to get it all done within the day, fly in early morning, car straight to embassy and then catch a late flight in the evening..Would this be possible or are there normally any delays processing there?

Hello, my mother is currently on a non-immigrant multi-O and we are due to do our last Visa run on a the fifth of May. I would like to transfer her to a retirement visa if it is possible, she currently has 800,00 Thai bank account but it is only being there for two weeks to date. A read some people mention then that the funds have to be there for a minimum of two months prior, if that is the case will it be possible for her to get in extension/retirement visa after we have done our last visa run as we will have a further 90 days available in the country?

Does she have to get a medical certificate as well? Or is this only for applications outside the country? It seems some people have the and some don't.

Thank you.

Went in an ambulance to BPH, severe back pain.....I mean extremely severe, also had numbness in my lower torso and legs.....Dr told me it was just back strain due to my current spinal deformity, wouldn't listen to me at all.....went home in the same ambulance with instructions to relax for a week.

Woke up that night convulsing with pain until I took some strong painkillers.....called Bumrungrad next moring, ambulance came, admitted quickly cashier told me not to worry about payment details now as my case was an emergency (didnt see her again for 2 days until my bill was already >50,000 baht....I was self funding also), within 24hrs they found out I had multiple spinal fractures. Bumrungrad listened to me, they accepted that I knew my body and my pain was not everyday aches and pain I have due to my arthritis. They also were prepared to investigate, x-rays showed nothing due to my long term spinal problems, but they did not dismiss my comments that something is seriously wrong this time....I had MRI and CT scans and within 2 weeks I was able to go home in my car, although 4 months bed rest at home was required to let the fractures heal fully.

Too many farangs have a guilt complex about maid wages and pay way over the odds to make themselves feel better....Then like to portray those paying a rate more inline with Thai wage averages given education/skills etc as slave drivers.

Well Ive just moved into a new house and a IPStar system was already in place (im aware of all the bad reports), however I have few details on the way to use it....I have a username/password from the ISP but no IP address or manuals etc, also im looking to run it through my Belkin wireless router.....How do I go about setting the system up properly? Tech support dont seem keen on picking up the phone...

Thanks

basically I'm thinking of buying a house in the area, looking at a map of Google Earth it's within a small cluster of houses just a little bit below the crocodile farm, about 500 m away from the new motorway. Currently however I am unsure as several Thai people have commented on possible flooding in the area being a problem, and indeed about a week and a half ago when it was raining severely we went to that area and the road leading up to the crocodile farm was practically destroyed and impassable. It seems to be fixed quickly and indeed many roads were flooded all over the Darkside at that time, but it seems water lies in the fields there more than Soi Siam, etc.in two fields close by to the house there was some flooding, but the house and the large garden (1 1/2 rai) seemed secure, if a bit spongy.

Also looking at Google Earth you can see the current route of the new motorway, which seems in no way a threat to the house but it is still a concern at exactly where that off and on ramps will go.

Please no sermons about the dangers of property ownership in Thailand. I understand the pros and cons and have weighed them accordingly.

One morning I woke up unable to move without extreme agony,muscle spasms, and my legs were practically numb went to Bangkok Pattaya and the doctors said I had a back strain due to my deformed spine and to simply rest, three days later woke up in the middle of the night in extreme agony, muscle spasms and decided to go to Pattaya International spent three nights there simply taking painkillers. Both times sent home in an ambulance as neither knew what to do, had the same spinal x-rays at both. And the amount of problems we had with the cashier's there and payment too much to go in to just now.

Then decided to go to Bumrungrad, had them send me an ambulance to Pattaya cashier told me not to worry about payment as my case was emergency they will come and see me later on.Anyways, within the following 24 hours they found out I had multiple fractures in my spine, long story short yes it was expensive(however the daily room cost was less than both the Pattaya hospitals)but I was diagnosed quickly and all my doctors spoke fluent English and I am now fully recovered. I now make monthly trips to see their rheumatologist and eye specialists.

For me I would not consider anywhere else now.

I have seen people pay anything from 6500 up for their driver. I put the word out I was looking for a driver and paying 8000 Bhat and had a lot of offers from people looking for work. I was paying 8000 Bhat plus a lot of tips and extras to my driver last year but it seemed he wished for more as I saw his advert in the paper looking for anything between 12 to 15,000 after we had parted ways (what he didn't seem to realise that along with the tips I was giving as well as Food & Drink when he went out he was on about 12,000 as it was). His English was very good however and he had detailed knowledge of Pattaya and Bangkok. Also his driving skills were very good, one thing I did let him down was continually turning up late for work (sometimes two hours or more) and using my car to ferry his family about in.

Now I am a lot stricter, no tips, no forwarding of salary, salary cut for turning up late. I think the lines between employee and friend got blurred with my old driver. Which was a shame, I did like going out with him.

Something I think many people who don't have money misunderstand is when you have so much money you don't know what to do with it most price tags become meaningless,you say someone would be stupid to buy this watch but if you have everything you could want already such a purchase is like a spur of the moment 3000 Bhatt purchase for the average guy.

hello, does anyone have any information on legal requirements and all tax duties that are required for import in freeze dried or dehydrated food?

Regards.

Interesting idea using fluorescent light tubes for a closed system, as others have mentioned would appreciate any photos/updates you have as you develop. I was pondering cheap/easy closed systems myself, purely looking at a scale of production that could eventually take care of personal needs + some extra. Are you looking to circulate the water or add any CO2?

As per the topic description anyone know where a good selection of desk mounted LCD monitor arms can be bought? Pref Pattaya area.

In Pattaya, but I am interested in the idea of Algae Oil production...Would be interested in your setup, currently Ive just been reading about it.

The last time I read anything about treatment for lower back pain in the UK the message was 'Sorry folks, we give up. Everything that we have tried in treating people doesn't fit the bill. You'll just have to get on with it.'

The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital told me I had two options. Lie in bed for a week or three until it gets better, or put yourself about, ignore the pain and recover in a week.

Head up, shoulders back, chest out, stomach in worked for me. Helps to maintain a good lordosis.

I just got the basic same thing today from Bangkok Pattaya.....was given strong pain killers and a steroid injection and basically told to live with it....asked about potential scans, CRT. X-rays etc and he was like "why bother? I wouldn't operate on you anyway because your back is in such a bad way" (my back is in a severe condition)...he just mimicked what a spinal surgeon told me in the UK, their all too scared to even contemplate it....but the UK guy cost me 12 000 baht for a 15 min session (BUPA private, wasn't going to wait 9 months to see the same guy at a NHS hospital) while the guy today cost me 600 baht (+700 baht for meds which have helped)...

Your the type of person i say who has no idea of labour costs in the country and keep thinking in whatever country your from terms....a fair wage is a wage someone of their skill, education etc can reasonably expect in the sector their working in the country their living...you quite frankly have zero idea of this apparently..."slightly over the top" when university students only get paid 500 baht per day for a 10 hour day working in an office your maid is living in Gods pocket....my girlfriends niece gets paid 4000 a month, 7 days a week noon-10pm working at a THai BBQ and shes Happy!! Pay what you will, but dont come on making out others are exploiting/lucky when in reality their the ones paying a standard rate.

Your gf's niece may well be happy but i dont believe for 1 moment she is happy working 300 hours a months for 4000 Baht.

If someone getting paid an expat salary pays less then 500 bht a day they are tight g7ts with little arms and deep pockets.

However i bought some tracksuit bottoms last week at 2.50GBP each and some tshirts a 2GBP a time from a shop called Primark, who sources its stock from sweatshops in India where the people get paid a couple of dollars a day so i guess that means i'm a hypocrite.

Why should my income affect what I pay others? Thats just an excuse for the whole double pricing of farangs, wealth distribution etc etc....4000 baht picking rice all day in the hot sun and heavy lifting or a quiet Thai BBQ serving food....yes I think shes happy. Many farangs have some guilt complex over the money they have compared to many Thais thus feel the need to over compensate and alleviate their guilt. Pay what you will but dont go trying to push your own guilt unto others who understand a global utopia does not exist.

I'm not sure whether you're lucky or just exploiting the women (who can live on 6000 baht a month?!). I live on Phuket and pay my cleaner 100 baht an hour which I know is slightly (but only slightly) over the top. Fortunately for my finances she only works twice a week, 3 hours each time.

It does raise the question though, are we exploiting them or is that really a fair wage?

Please don't come back with the old 'you mustn't distorting the economic structure' arguement unless you can show that really is a realistic wage.

Your the type of person i say who has no idea of labour costs in the country and keep thinking in whatever country your from terms....a fair wage is a wage someone of their skill, education etc can reasonably expect in the sector their working in the country their living...you quite frankly have zero idea of this apparently..."slightly over the top" when university students only get paid 500 baht per day for a 10 hour day working in an office your maid is living in Gods pocket....my girlfriends niece gets paid 4000 a month, 7 days a week noon-10pm working at a THai BBQ and shes Happy!! Pay what you will, but dont come on making out others are exploiting/lucky when in reality their the ones paying a standard rate.

While bored and for my own interest I created a small program to output a collated list of the 1000 words excel file, this also includes links to a dictionary lookup via Thai2English...in case it helps anyone.

1000thai.php.htm

Edit: Fixed.

A lot of farangs heavily over pay maids etc....11 000 a month is too much..IMHO MrPaddy is far closer to the mark...including the days off per month...farangs still tend to compare it to "back home" and feel a sense of guilt about wages, days off, hours etc....

Well, for the moment I'm ignoring the chart and am long XAU puts again.

I think you're reading the chart incorrectly. It is a ratio chart, comparing the price of Gold to a benchmark precious metals index. It gives a buy/sell signal for Gold stocks. Past performance is no indication of future performance, blah, blah. I just posted it out of interest.

Apologies, my bad.