OneMoreFarang

My gf can dance - no question about that. About the singing: I prefer if she does that with her friends in a karaoke place far away from me. ???? I understand what you write about happiness, but I don't agree. Many people think they would be happy if only they were married, have a big house and a big car and this and that. And yes, if they just marry or just get a new car then they are a little happier than previously. And then, soon after that event, the situation goes back to: I would be happier if only ... I think that is the big issue which we have to understand for ourselves. We are not long time happier with a big car or house or being married, etc. Most of that becomes normal after a short while. IMHO marriage does not make us long term happier.

Does anybody have an English translation of the electric code or whatever that is called for electrical installations in condominiums in Thailand and superficially Bangkok? A long time ago back home I worked a little for an electrician company. We did the cabling in private homes and in industrial buildings. I also learned a job with electronics and I play around with electronics since forever. IMHO I am able to do electrical installations and I am sure they work and they are secure (enough). I plan to renovate a condominium unit from scratch with all new wiring etc.. So I have to make sure that it not only works but that it is legal under the local (Thai? Bangkok?) regulations. I.e. do I need electrical conduits in the ceiling? Or can I use electric wire trays? Do I need separate conduits and/or wire trays for low voltage and high voltage cables? And about the installation: Does a certified electrician (company) has to do the installation? And/or is such a company necessary to inspect an installation and sign that it is properly installed? Until now my plan is to hire a professional company to do the electrical installation up to and including the fuse box. And from there on I want to do my own installation with home automation, low voltage (5V to 24V) LED strips, etc. With your answers please keep in mind that I write about my plans here because I want advice. And if the advice convinces me that I shouldn't do this myself then that is fine with me. The idea is to learn before I actually do it. Thanks.

Thanks for your long answer/comment. I am sure if I would marry my gf that would make her happy - for about a month or maybe a year. But then all would be exactly like before. With one huge difference: If we would separate then I would be the one who has to pay. And "has to pay" means I would be legally required to do that. And that is something I am not willing to do if there is no big upside to that. Too many guys lost lots of money because of their divorce. That is reality. Why take the risk? Coming back to the happiness of being married: It seems when people marry they have a big (expensive) party and all is perfect - or at least they want to look as if it is perfect. And then they go on honeymoon and then they settle down and then? Is there any real difference between married couples and couples who live long time together and are not married? At least in my personal experience I don't think I know any couple (here or back home) who are constantly happier because they married. But I know a couple of unhappy guys who discovered and found out how expensive divorce can be. Marriage is a legal contract, not more and not less. If I sign any legal contract I think if it makes sense or if there is a huge risk/downside compared to a small upside.

I heard of a case of a farang and his Thai "wife" who had a Buddhist ceremony but they were not officially married. At some stage they separated and she wanted money for her divorce. And it seem she got the money. Why? Because she produced pictures of the Buddhist marriage ceremony and that was apparently enough to prove that she was married. I heard that story years ago from a reliable source. Is it true? I can't be sure. Is it a risk? Sure it is.

She would get enough to live happily ever after. I am pretty sure she would change her standard of living. Now we live in Bangkok, without me I am pretty sure she would live up country.

We are happy together, since many years. And I take care of her. I also know her family. But I don't like village life and I spend very little time up country. About us and me. I think too many people pretend there is only an us and if there is an us there can't be a me anymore. Wrong! We don't stop to be individuals when we have a partner. And we as individuals develop over time. We all change. And maybe we change in the same direction or maybe we change in different directions. The idea "till death do us part" was invented when people died early. Now the chance that we will stay together forever is not so high anymore, even if we try. And about "i am sure you could figure out on your own the dangers involved with in such attitude": Sorry, I have no idea what you mean. She and her family don't give me any trouble about not being married. What danger?

The police stopped my many times (in Bangkok) with my bike. They never asked for my passport. Never!

I am not married to my longtime gf and I don't plan to marry her. Why? Because if I marry her and if it ever goes wrong than that will be very expensive for me. So if I would marry I would virtually sign something like: If you leave me then you will get a lot of money. Why should I sign something like that if there is no long term advantage of marring? We all know that lots of relations fail. And we all know that most of the time that is expensive for the husband. I think if a guy leaves his long time gf because he wants to and she didn't really do something wrong then he should support her for a while. But if she wants to leave him then the reason should not be: Now I get a lot of money. If you are not married then you don't have to worry about that. The times when people had to marry to be able to live together are over. You don't have to! My 2 cents: Marry only if you have a good legal reason to do that. And think about the future - and possible alternative versions of the they lived happily ever after future.

Actually Thaksin is an expensive watch hoarder.

Yes, I understand that part. But if a girls gets paid 3500B for a job which is done by others for 300B then that should bring up the question: Why do I get paid so much money for serving drinks? What do they expect? I never attended such a party but somehow I would be surprised if guys spend so much money without getting the impression that they will get a lot more than just drinks served.

I agree. And while it is investigated any suspects should be treated as all other suspect. Innocent until proven guilty. ... In this case it was only a couple of days and everybody still should remember what they did. But maybe they made illegal agreements (prostitution) and maybe drugs were involved. And that makes it obviously a lot more difficult to get straight answers from everybody involved.

... and what kind of sex.

Yes, absolutely. Just in case you never used such a service, maybe in a country far away where it is legal: The two business partners agree about the scope of the business and the payment. And if they guy doesn't follow the agreement...

Money? It seems these days there are many women out there who suddenly remember that they were raped years or even decades ago. And it seems many of the accused rapists are now very rich. Now why would women accuse such men? Obviously some women are raped and then they go to the police and that's what they should do. But for other women it seems to be a way to make a lot of money and/or ruin the life of a guy. MeToo and all that.

Is there somewhere a dictionary which suffix is what? Maybe the guys got confused and thought a model was a pretty or a madam or whatever they call themselves.

I am pretty sure for that you would need a work permit and a business visa. But I am not so sure if it is possible to get a work permit for that kind of work. Some work is restricted for Thais only so legally you will never be able to do it. This is from my limited knowledge. I am sure others here know more details.

I think if they get commissions for bringing customers that is fair enough - as long as the commissions are not added to the buyer's price. But there is obviously a problem if they get commission for brand A but not brand B etc..

Yes Thanks. Do you know any names of shops like that? Would a not professional builder, maybe a Thai person, be able to buy anything for the same good prices like the professionals in those shops? Or do those shops have no entrance for "normal" people?

That's over 40 years ago so maybe they are now in heaven/paradise. ????

What is included in such "entertainment" contracts? As we all know prostitution is illegal in Thailand. But it also seems to be normal that certain entertainers do a lot of entertainment with their customers... And this, lets call it enhanced entertainment, can never be written in a contract because it is illegal. Does that mean all entertainers can claim rape afterwards if they make sure they keep a used condom from that entertainment event? Don't get me wrong, I think guys who rape women should go to jail. But if women work in the entertainment business and get paid for their services then that is (at least normally) not rape.

Back "home" professionals with the correct documents (i.e. a house renovation company) get substantial discounts is some shops. I.e. if they buy tiles or tools they might get 30% discount. Does something like this exist in Thailand? Or to ask in a different way: If I want to buy i.e. tiles and tools for 50,000B in a shop like Boonthavorn, will I get the same price as if a Thai professional builder (company) would buy these things in the same shops? Or would the Thai builders buy the same things in some special wholesale shops for a better price?

I don't know if it is funny or sad when people believe such a sentence. Maybe he was fined - which I think is fair enough. And maybe he didn't want to get fined and made lots of trouble. And maybe that behavior motivated someone to arrest him - which I also think is fair enough. Over the years I had over hundred encounters with the police when they stopped me for not riding on the left lane. It was always friendly. Don't pi@$ them off and all will be fine. Good Morning Thailand.

I have no argument with you, you have the perfect solution... training. But you might remind yourself how much was the total learning cost in England [my home country] Thais would simply say they cannot afford such a mandatory scheme. Money here is hard to come-by, kids are expendable. That's the culture here... not safety . @englishinsiam I wonder if and how the driving of your wife, and others who trained outside of Thailand, changes in Thailand. Personally I adapt in different ways. I.e. in Thailand I look left and right and front and rear because you never know where they come from. And I never accelerate only because the light switches to green. Better wait a second or two. But I don't look too much if I am under the legal speed limit because nobody checks (at least in town). Back "home" I look almost constantly at my speedometer because if I drive too fast it cost a lot of money and/or the license is gone. But I can be pretty sure that people stop at red lights and I don't have to expect vehicles from anywhere. I think we all adapt after a while.

How about this one?

Here is the statistic for Thailand for the 14th January: 51 deaths (45 motorcyclists, 4 passengers, 2 pedestrians) The average for this year is 49 deaths per day