phuturatica

Recently I've been sick and showing no signs of getting any better and I've come to the conclusion that the air con is most probably making me sick. My boyfriend has had it for 2 years and never cleaned the filter and knows nothing about cleaning it and why you need to etc.

Seeing as I'm from cold ole' England where air con is not a big thing, I too have no idea how to clean the air con filter. I much prefer using the fan anyways, however my boyfriend prefers the air con on for a little while as it's colder but I break out into a coughing fit whenever I'm in the room with it on.

Is there a simple and easy way of cleaning the air con filter or should I just pay someone to come and do it for me?

Does anyone else get sick from the air con and is it a common thing?

Pantip Plaza have Rosetta Stone discs but I have never personally used them. I always use the store on the ground floor and never had a problem with any of their disks.

I've been assigned to design a menu for a friend and I was wondering if anyone knew where I could get some liquid chalk pens from? I have seen some menus that have used it so I'm led to believe that you can purchase them in Thailand.

Anyone know of any good stationary shops or places that would sell them?

Thanks in advance!

How many tourist visa stamps do you think it would take before being given the red stamp?

Never. Age is just a number...

After having my foot examined, it turns out I have cellulitis like I feared.

There was no obvious redness or swelling at first but a few hours after my first post on this it started to develop so I guess I felt the pain before it really started to show.

On antibiotics now so it should start clearing up, hopefully. Thanks for all the advice guys!

I'm only 24 and I have moved to Thailand! Did my degree, got some office job in London but just wasn't happy so I dropped it all and moved here after completing a TEFL in the UK! I haven't looked back!

I only moved here at the beginning of November so I'm still a newbie when it comes to being Thai Expat Resident, however I am thoroughly enjoying it. I still have a long way to go in finding my feet though! Some of the ladies on the forum have been here for years and I always aspire to them slightly!

All I can say to you is, follow your dream and give it a try. If you don't like it you can always move back and if you have a TEFL qualification behind you - you can make a choice in teaching somewhere else in the world! The options are endless almost!

I got a great map with all the bus routes on it, but it is a few years old, and some new bus routes are not listed.

Most good bookshops will have the map.

I'll have a look for it, does the map have a particular name so I can specifically ask for it?

Is there a website or way of finding out which particular bus goes where? I want to start learning certain bus routes so I can get to a few places without having to get a taxi all the time.

There never seems to be much information at the bus stops and I have only managed to find out bus routes from what people have told me. However is there a way you can look it up and learn yourself?

Me and my boyfriend (he is Thai) got stopped and pulled over in our car near Victory Monument the other day. They went to search me but I explained that I wanted a female officer to search me if they were going to pat me down and touch me etc.

They said that was not possible so I resisted and said they would not put a finger on me or touch me. I think more than anything they were surprised that I was being so adamant and defensive even though I was surrounded by at least 20 police officers.

They took my boyfriend to the side and searched him and turned the whole car inside out and kept telling my boyfriend I was being difficult and I should co-operate. My boyfriend said to let them pat me down and check my pockets and I was pretty angry that he was giving in to them. However one of the officers grabbed my arm quite tightly and went to pull me to the side out of the way, which was out of my boyfriend's view and at that point I kicked off and resisted.

Another officer made the officer who had hold of me let me go and they exchanged some words in Thai. I said I would empty my pockets and bag but they would not touch me out of view from my boyfriend and other officers. They finally agreed to do this and I then co-operated fine.

Either way, I felt very intimidated and they really rough handled my boyfriend too. So I don't think it's just farangs they're cracking down on.

I guess people can call me tight if they want but before a night out, I drink a bottle of sangsom from 7eleven whilst getting ready so I'm feeling in the mood as the night starts. Then I don't have to spend so much on booze in bars.

Also once or twice I have filled a bucket with my own alcohol and gone dancing acting like I just bought the bucket from the bar... But that's only when I've really gone over budget for the month.

I woke up 2 days ago with an extremely tender foot. I haven't hit it or twisted it in any way previously so I thought it was a little bit random for it to be hurting...

The pain as such is not in one particular point in the foot but more or less all over the top, towards my big toe and index toe and I can't put any weight on the ball of my foot. It also hurts when I flex it. Right now I can't put any weight on it at all and when I have it up rested, it's throbbing quite intensely. It's not very swollen or red but it's much hotter than the other foot.

After being a ballet dancer for 17 years I've had my fair share of sprains and twisted ankles so I'm 100% certain that this isn't a sprain or anything like that.

After researching on the net, I've got a theory that it could be cellulitis? My symptoms seem to fit a mild case of it and it can apparently be caused from an insect bite (I have loads of mosquito bites on my foot)

Anyone have any experience of this or can maybe shed some light?

They just grow old gracefully like the rest of the female population. They probably splash out on some anti-wrinkle cream too. That's what I would do.

I've often wondered why there are so many Brits in Thailand. I'm talking young Brits in their late 20s, early 30s, who should be pursuing careers in England. Instead, they are here working shit teaching jobs just so they can stay. What happens when they're 65 and have nothing? I have an excuse - I'm retired, got a pension and a ton of bucks in the bank. I'm here to chill. Is it realy that bad in England? Must be a miserable little island....

This generation are the pisshead generation where they dont accept any responsibility for anything its NEVER their fault life is a big party at everyone else's expense, they will turn up back in the Uk at 65 or when things get tricky get straight into their council house accommodation and carry on.

"Awesome" as the idiots would say.

Also, talk about a HUGE flying generalization?

Maybe you do know some irresponsible people who would do that but surely it's a bit steep to give every young person that kind of label?

It is a bit steep indeed and I can't condone it, but neither can I condone the generalization that all people of my era robbed the UK family jewels and left nothing for the current younger generation, many of us worked hard all our lives without making fortunes from property et al and saved hard without having gold plated public sector pensions. We don't disagree I suspect, juts wanted to make the point that the finger pointing goes both ways.

Of course the finger pointing goes both ways however, it wasn't just your era that worked hard etc. I have been working since I was I was 16 and even before then I was doing odd end jobs for my neighbours for a bit of pocket money. I've never had a pension before in my life and I've never made a fortune. I worked a rubbish minimum wage job for years and saved hard so that eventually I could follow my dream and move here and work here.

Also, I know I'm a baby in comparison to most people on the forum so I'm not doing the whole "I've worked harder and longer than you!" game - I just want people to know that there are actually young people out there who aren't on any benefits who don't have a pension, who work their asses off to follow their dreams. We're not all irresponsible, booze-loving pissheads.

I've often wondered why there are so many Brits in Thailand. I'm talking young Brits in their late 20s, early 30s, who should be pursuing careers in England. Instead, they are here working shit teaching jobs just so they can stay. What happens when they're 65 and have nothing? I have an excuse - I'm retired, got a pension and a ton of bucks in the bank. I'm here to chill. Is it realy that bad in England? Must be a miserable little island....

This generation are the pisshead generation where they dont accept any responsibility for anything its NEVER their fault life is a big party at everyone else's expense, they will turn up back in the Uk at 65 or when things get tricky get straight into their council house accommodation and carry on.

"Awesome" as the idiots would say.

Also, talk about a HUGE flying generalization?

Maybe you do know some irresponsible people who would do that but surely it's a bit steep to give every young person that kind of label?

I've often wondered why there are so many Brits in Thailand. I'm talking young Brits in their late 20s, early 30s, who should be pursuing careers in England. Instead, they are here working shit teaching jobs just so they can stay. What happens when they're 65 and have nothing? I have an excuse - I'm retired, got a pension and a ton of bucks in the bank. I'm here to chill. Is it realy that bad in England? Must be a miserable little island....

They are here for easily available poontang, that's why, anyone who says different is waffling.

UK is OK, as long as you have a few quid in your pocket and provided you live in a decent area. Beats me why anyone would want to come out here and draw a crappy Thai salary, gotta be the poontang!

I find it quite hilarious when people have this preconception that the only expats in Thailand should be old retiring people! And of course, I'm female and here for the poontang. *rolls eyes*

Some young people might actually be here because they enjoy Thailand and not all of them may be English teachers. Unlike majority (not all - some) of the old miserable lot on here who do nothing but complain about the country they moved to and their Thai wives and hookers etc. - It doesn't half make me laugh!

Money doesn't always bring happiness so whilst it's not the best salary in the world, it's still a better lifestyle over here for sure.

What if a person isn't looking for prospects and simply wants to just live there?

Simply just living there isn't that simple in the UK. People with university degrees have difficulty getting a job in their profession and most of them end up with low level, dead end jobs. The rate of unemployment is at it's highest, kids are running riot and intimidating the nation and our government is going rapidly downhill.

The cost of living to how much you earn if you actually have a job is not all a bunch of roses.

The UK has no prospects for anyone in it's current state. I left the UK in November to move to Thailand and I don't regret it at all.

Oh my god, I really want mashed potatoes now.

When I visited a small village in Phatthalung, I met several women with severe skin problems after using Amway products. There was a guy in the village who was on commission selling it to people and different companies in the area. The product was official Amway and not some fake brand. Their skins returned back to normal after they all stopped using it within a month.

maybe a question to hehehoho

does your wife know of the mistress? how does she feel about that?

It's also built into our DNA to keep that quiet.

Do you think the foreign men who wanted to use you for extra-marital fun were going to use it as pillow talk with the missus that night?

*rolls eyes*

Guys like you make me lose faith in ever getting married...

On New Years I had fireworks thrown at me in my direction so I just did the same and threw them back. If you can't beat em' join them.

1st November 2010 - The day I jumped on a plane and got the hell out of the UK and made the big move to Thailand...

Never in my life did I think I'd be able to do something like this with my health and being so young etc, so when I did, I almost couldn't believe it. Best bold move I ever did.

Cheers guys!

If a tourist visa runs out at the weekend and the Bangkok Thai Embassy is closed on the weekends will it be ok to get an extension at the Embassy Office on the Monday after the weekend which the visa runs out, or does it have to be before the weekend?