OneMoreFarang

I wonder how much of that are "commissions"...

Service charge is exactly that. 10% service charge is usual in Thailand, at least in the better places. Which I think is fair - at least when the owners give all of that service charge to the service people.

Don't think too much. Don't try to solve this with logic.

Low penalties or high penalties don't make a difference if nobody enforces the laws. Some of these pedestrian crossings are directly next to police booth. And what does the police do? Nothing. There are also every few minutes hordes of motorcycle riders who regularly ignore the red lights. What does the police do? Nothing. TiT, nothing changes.

Can you read? I didn't write anywhere that I expected any work for free. I received a quotation for installing air conditioners in a condominium with bare walls and walls which still had to be built at that time. IMHO it should have been obvious to the AC guy that anybody who renovates a condominium from scratch (including new water pipes, etc.) does not expect drainpipes mounted on the wall. Eventually he understood it and quoted it and installed it that way.

MeToo

I hope at one stage, when they are all locked up, they start chanting: Lock him (Trump) up. I am sure lots of these people wouldn't have done what they did without POTUS encouragement.

Maybe I go to the "wrong" places, but I don't think anybody ever asked me for a tip. To be fair, most of the time I leave a tip in bars and restaurants so they don't have to ask. But I am pretty sure if anybody would ask that would be a reason not to tip. This is not America. Good!

Be aware that "installation" or "installation included" is very relative. I had my condominium renovated from scratch with expensive AC units. The supposed expert, not cheap, was surprised that I wanted all drainpipes inside the walls and not just on top of the walls. So better make sure they understand in detail what you expect.

About Elon Musk...

I always thought they want a lot more than that.

Why would anybody eat an American Pizza on Soi 11 when an excellent Italian Pizza is available in the same Soi just across the road?

I was aware that the video was about an eBike battery. The principle is the same. The guy who made the video, Louis Rossmann, is a well-known electronic specialist. If he didn't see any problem coming, then I guess the chance that anybody else will foresee it is almost zero. And about quality in Thailand: I think we all know that often we just don't know where some parts come from. And if Brand X is printed on it doesn't mean Brand X is inside. I am not against electric vehicles. But people should be aware of the risks.

electric = fire risk I don't know how often it happens, but if lithium batteries are on fire they burn and are basically impossible to extinguish. And they can catch fire when there is a problem with the charging, when they are physically damaged and, it seems, it might just happen. If you have anything electric with a big battery, then at least make sure not to keep it anywhere where a fire would be a problem.

So I guess if a young handsome guy walks in a bar to take a girl out then the girl won't drink to enjoy the experience? Really?

How about: Here’s what will happen to the US economy as the debt ceiling drama deepens

And if you have more money, then you can buy something bigger and/or more powerful. But why? I was a long time in the situation that I didn't have much money, but I wanted a (fun) bike. So I bought what I could afford. The biggest bike I had was a 400cc with about 60HP. How I have almost 400cc with about 40HP. It's fun and I like it. Now I could afford something powerful like a 600cc or even 1000cc. Over 100HP, wow! But for what? At least for me a bigger engine wouldn't speed up my trips inside Bangkok. And that is where I ride 90% of the time. Sure, I could dream about how much faster the bigger bike would be if I would ride on a decent and free road. But how often will that realistically happen? Bigger bikes are in many ways not better than smaller bikes and there is no good reason to spend more money for a bigger bike even if you can afford it if you never use the extra power/comfort/whatever.

I never tried buying a 2nd hand scooter and I don't know the prices. But I know that lots of guys finance their bikes, and I am pretty sure lots of them are not able to pay for those bikes for years. And then the bikes are repossessed. And then? Who sells those repossessed bikes and for what kind of prices? I guess the prices have to be considerably lower than new, otherwise people won't buy them.

Freedom to do what? Getting out of town? Ride to the next (super)market or restaurant? Do you want to transport anything in that bike? How is the traffic in your area? It makes a big difference if you have a narrow bike, a little ship like the PCX or a big ship. If you ride only inside town then you don't need the extra power of more than 200cc. I think best rent something and try. And then maybe rent something different and try. And, IMHO, don't buy anyting bigger than you really need. It's more difficult in traffic, more difficult to park, more expensive, etc.

I checked a few days ago: 3000 or 3200 THB per person... There was a time when the Atrium buffet was good and reasonably priced. It seems that time is over.

"She promised me she will swallow it all." Now let the officials sort that one out. ????

Show me a bar where after midnight there are not plenty of drunk girls. Basically all of them want to make money from drinks, which is fair enough because that is their job. And IMHO the majority of the girls also like to get drunk or be drunk. Give them the choice between cola, a beer or tequila many want the tequila, and another one and another one.

Probably he was walking all night to find prostitutes. But like the police he couldn't find any. He was totally exhausted and probably shocked. RIP

Lots of very drunk girls keep their jobs in bars. Because (mostly customers) have to buy them many drinks to get that drunk. The bar and the girl make a lot of money in that process - it's like that by design.

Which part?