Jajazazajaja

My cono has a communal True Dish and nothing else, no cable. It took them 2 years to install that dish, too.

I am not allowed to "erect" my own dish for some reason.

With that in mind, how can I subscribe to CTH to watch football next season?

Cheers

Well, i got some valium and zopiclone from the doctors and have been able to get down to 5mg of Diazapam 2 - 3 times a week which im really pleased about.

I dont feel in a panic anymore if i haven't got access to any pills and am generally feeling a bit less stressed, maybe due to taking up exercise again.

Anyway, next up is a councillor.

Xanax is a horrible drug to stop using, i wish anyone all the best if they are struggling with it.

I have been using "Country Road" in Pratunam for years, but it has gotten worse and worse and my last suit was a disgrace.

Pratunam or Sukhumvit area is fine, I like traditional english style suits, if that makes any difference.

Cheers

Well, i have an appointment at Bumugrad, so lets see what they say. Thanks for all the encouragement.

My job is ridiculously stressful and Xanax has helped in some senses, but now im totally hooked.

Coming off Xanax after years of use is horrible. I have had seizures and bad panic attacks when trying in the past, but I'm determined to quit.

It has a much longer half life than Xanax and is very commonly used to help people come off other benzos.

Like an idiot i have been self medicating on Xanax to get over travel/work stress and insomnia.

It is proving very hard to stop taking it, due the effects of long term benzo use (horrible). I travel a lot on business and dont like taking unprescribed benzos through customs

Im looking for a doctor in BKK who will listen to the reasons for my condition and can prescribe me something like Vallium (to get over the benzo withdrawal slowly and a real medication for insomnia (Zopiclone)

The last Thai doctor i saw was utterly useless.

any help, greatly appreciated.

thanks

Why would anyone need to "ship" their passport for a Russian visa? Sounds fishy to me. Anyone who gives their passport to ANYONE has to see a doctor I'm sorry to say. I say you deserve what you have coming to you really and especially you are the one who said you gave it to an African National who are known world wide for scams.

Probably was sold on Khao Sarn Rd for 10k. Som nam na.

Think outside your limited experience before you drop such heavy criticism...

That's why some people need two passports.

The Op was here in Thailand on one passport while his spare was used for a visa application. Depending on the country and type of Visa / Permit required you may need to send your passport.

The only mistake the Op made was not trusting his instincts.

Thanks Richard. You are quite right, i should have trusted my instincts with this buffoon.

Why would anyone need to "ship" their passport for a Russian visa? Sounds fishy to me. Anyone who gives their passport to ANYONE has to see a doctor I'm sorry to say. I say you deserve what you have coming to you really and especially you are the one who said you gave it to an African National who are known world wide for scams.

Probably was sold on Khao Sarn Rd for 10k. Som nam na.

Thanks Gone, very insightful.

Have you ever tried to get a Russian or Nigerian or Egyption visa in Bangkok?

Went into the offices today, bypassed African George and spoke to the Indian owner. My passport and other doccuments were still in his drawer. Got them all back, got a refund, owner apologized and went round the corner to my usual agent go post it again. No pages were missing. Indian owner offered no excuses other than his african employee had no idea how to deal with FedEx packages and shouldnt have accepted it without calling him.

As FedEx are pretty interested in their reputation, too, if I were you I would be on the phone with the *constantly* until the issue is resolved or until they come down on that office like a ton of bricks. If the 'agent' has done a runner by that time it won't help, but it sounds like the scheme is more complicated if someone there is still admittting knowing something about your shipment but making excuses.

Yes, I wonder why he keeps calling to update me with these fanciful tales.

Yup, a mistake on my part, rushing to get it sent. I'll have to visit the police station tomorrow. Luckily I have another passport.

I'll stop by the agents offices 1st, it is round the corner from my place and kick off a bit, see what happens.

These are the company anyway.

http://www.trading-circles.com/

You should have walked in the next day and demand for your passport since it has not been sent.

Genuine passport fetches good money in the black market.

I would have if i was in town. Ill visit them tomorrow and if i dont get it back or confirmation that its been sent then i will provide the world with the full details of the company in question.

I had to send one of my passports (i have 2) back home recently to get a Visa for Russia. i have done this before with no problems. My usual agent was closed so i took it to another place round the corner in Pratunam. Huge mistake. The guy working there was West African and acted very strangely throughout the process. Normally i just give the agent my passport, fill in the form and seal it. 5 mins max. Later that day it is picked up and i can track it online. Not this guy. He insisted on investigating my passport and kept pointing out i had no Thai entry stamps. I told him i had another, and that it was none of his business anyway, but he insisted on photocopying it and leafing through it. Having worked in West Africa, this is not unusual behavior, nothing is straightforward.

Then he wouldn't fill the form in properly or seal the package while i was there, he just stuck it in a drawer. But i did get the form and tracking number. 

I logged in the next day to the FedEx website and there was no record of my tracking number, so i called the agent. I got some horseshit story about the van not coming to collect the package, but it would be sent tomorrow. Next day i checked and still nothing. Phoned again and got another story about problems with the driver. Next day it was problems with the airport. Something else yesterday, i forget what and today he said he was at the "FedEx head office" in Bangkok and my package would go out on the next flight. 

Yeah, sure. 

I called FedEx and they had no idea what he was talking about, and that the tracking number should have been scanned as soon as i dropped the package off. 

The agent is a shipping company that has a big shop and has been around for years. If my passport has been lost or stolen, what are my options? My dealings with the Thai police dont fill be with confidence at all. 

Cheers

1317397345[/url]' post='4734398']

"What Do You Think About Farangs Who Lie"

Oh surely not!

Are you saying that all those Farang, ex SAS,LA Police,...$ / £ Millionaires,who spend 150,000 to 200,000 Baht a month,may be telling Porkies?

I'm truly shocked,and i'm going to stick with Thai Visa in future!

Love the falang bs artists.

I remember bumping into this bloke in BKK once who was going on about his Olympic judo medals. I spotted him as a typical BS artist and called his bluff.

"Ha ha, ill show this clown up" i chuckled to myself.

It was only when i woke up in hospital a few hours later that i realized he was Brian Jacks....

1320482934[/url]' post='4824148']

. I do think thais view sex differently to farangs but still....

Yeah i think so too, it seems to be sortta kinda acceptable to go and have sex with someone, if its just sex, "if you have feel to do, its ok" Emotional cheating is much muc worse for Thais i think.

Makes more sense to me than the Arab belief that irs OK to have sex with another man if you are the one on top and you dont love the other bloke. Its only Gay to be the "recipient" and be in love apparently.

Funny old world.

"my girlfriend has never once asked me for money" is a good one.

"im a freelance *fill your own job in here*"

Etc

I have always been more amused by the bullcrap that comes out of Falangs mouths in bars like Chequers, Finnegans etc.

Tourists pretending to live here, blokes claiming to be in the CIA / MI5 etc.

All time fav has to be the young chap who told me he made his living doing the "visa run" for Nana girls..... He went into great details about how much money he makes taking the girls to the Cambodian border every 30 days.

I agreed, its a disgrace that Thai people are forced to leave their own country every 30 days to get a Visa stamp to stay in Thailand....

"well, it made me a rich man!" he exclaimed.

Later, his girlfriend confirmed that they were there on a 2 week package holiday.

I apologize, i'm just trying to have fun without hurting or attacking anyone.

a grievous crime, it would seem.

Alas on my 1st ever week here i thought Nana Square was Nan Plaza.

"bit disappointing, this" i kept muttering.

what is this Nana Plaza, i keep hearing about?

is it a shopping arcade?

I whinge and moan like a right git at the various things that annoy me about living here. (usually them <deleted> kids who sit on my car all day, the little shits)

Thats the "ex pats paradox" or as i call it "wanke_rs choice"

Id like to be stuffed and preserved outside my building so i can keep an eye on them kids that hand around this soi.

If your staff doesn't respect you, they will walk all over you. If they do respect you they will be loyal and productive.

Truth.

WARNING: Generalizations to follow --

Speaking as someone who has worked here for decades, perhaps the most important (and in a way hardest) lesson I learned is that as Thailand is not an egalitarian society and that is ultimately not a traditional Thai ideal, nothing works right if you don't recognize the heirarchy -- not only when dealing with those who are (by thai standards) in a higher position than but also those "below" you. Treating someone lower on the ladder (and employee or whomever) too close to an equal will often confuse them and generally make them (consciously or not) lose respect for you. They might think you are a nice guy but they won't necessarily respect you.

And then you're screwed. (Especially since if you one day turn around and act differently, they are likely to resent it unless you are very skillful at making that change).

It was hard lesson to learn because of my own very dearly held ideals and those of the society I was brought up in. But it is the reality.

This doesn't mean you have to be cruel, insensitive or gratuitously harsh -- be kind when you can do so without being soft. But they MUST know there is a steel hand inside the velvet glove.

Also don't forget that fun is important. Be tough but (relatively) generous with things like trips, parties, and perhaps an occasional bonus.

if it's done right, they will look at you as almost a surrogate parent: to be loved but not to be trifled with. And then (the good ones or even just the OK ones) will be mostly loyal and hardworking

Yes, this too.

I have found it is very important, on occasion to "show power" as they put it. Not just at work, but in everyday life.

Smile and be nice and let it slide, but make sure that when the time comes, you are very much in charge and behind your affable veneer lurks a right git.

If those pesky kids are sat on your car downstairs, or the security guards are asleep outside your building, do as the Thais do, and go out there and tell them to eff off or wake up asap.

One of my friends owns a real estate office and needs reception girl. The job is to be in the office from 12pm-8pm watch 50 inch LCD TV(just watch TV for fun) and answer phone when it rings and take messages if anyone comes in, salary 10 000 baht per month.

Sounds like a really boring job to me. Tell your friend to offer 2 jobs at 6k/month each. Then the staff can talk to eachother about the soaps they're watching. Jobs will be filled by two friends in no time.

Boring - no. Hard work - no. Stress - no.

Look at the staff in 7/11. There are usually twice as many staff as you would need in the west, but you need to factor in here the social aspect of the job, talking to your friends. Considering Thais spend so much time at work, it is their life, they need to have fun and friends whilst working. And who cares if 5 people are queuing for one till whilst 3 other staff stand around talking? Mai bpen rai!

ngaan = work. ngaan = Party/festival. Same word, work should be a party. Sitting watching TV for 40 hours a week, on your own, no thanks!

My girlfriend immediately started looking for a new job as soon as her friend left. Her current job, paying 13000B/month, was now boring. She was desperate to land a job at 9000/month at a university, two reasons - prestige of working at a university and she'd be working with someone she studied with previously.

And boss providing food is an absolute must.

I have joined this forum to basically say yes to all of this.

I audit various facilities all over Asia, before I arrive, the management run around for 2 weeks stressing and instructing their staff how to behave for the week I am there. The net result of this is that everyone is so wound up and stressed by the time i get there, they make all sorts of mistakes due to nerves that they would never normally do.

Not in Bangkok

During my week at 1 company they made it an "Audit Festival" with all the trimmings, extra nice lunches, balloons, dancing, the big boss singing Issan love songs he didnt understand and a few beers for the older kids after 6.

As a result, everyone was relaxed, no-one made a silly mistake, and i completely murdered "Careless Whisper" on the last afternoon, to the amusement of all.

What makes Thai workers tick?

having fun, feeling good

thats the whole concept of Sanuk, right?

From my experience Thai business owners have exactly the same problems with their staff. The grass is not greener on the other side.

T

i learned not to ask "where do you see yourself in 5, or even 2 years?" very quickly

"Probably in some other job" was the usual reply