DualSportBiker

No adult human should take milk. Even with the fat removed, everything in it is purposed to turn a calf into a large cow as quickly as possible. 

I've just switched up my diet. No more complex breakfasts that were great, unfortunately. Two meals a day; salad and fish for lunch, eggs and avocado for dinner. 4 kg down in 2 months. Now I am only 4 kg away from my target weight.

Good luck.

My dearest has her own company which does translation services and business consulting. She is also the (local) regional president of a global charity. She recently passed a Thai Army course in news presenting so technically she could deliver the Royal Household news - an activity restricted to officially certified Thais. She also got IFA certs, not because she wants to sell investments, but so she can better understand what we do with our money. She has two condos she rents and also helps me with my business as needed. We had a business together 14 years ago here. Unfortunately that tanked, but not because of anything she did...

We definitely don't spend 24/7 together! Last time we did that we got frustrated with a lack of personal time/space.

In her mind she has to justify her parents investment and effort to send her and all five siblings to university between 30 and 40 year back. Doing nothing of value for herself or others would be a waste of their effort and a path to a lack of self-respect - that's as she explains it to me.

Anyhow, she is a smart lass and I am lucky to have met and married her.

12 hours ago, AnotherOneHere said:

 

Can't you junkies just inject it right in the shop if you really need it that bad? Do you have to bring drugs out where the children are?

Ignorance is not your friend. Try learning something before you vomit via your keyboard

There are plenty of locally and regionally brewed ales in Thailand now. No longer necessary to drink the pigswill that is available at 7/11. Cheap is not a reason to compromise because you can't shine a turd.

7 hours ago, theshu25 said:

Sent he drug pushing mutt to the russian front.

Have to wonder which substances cause a brain-fart big enough to mess up 'send' and 'the'. 

Projection?

I've enjoyed predominantly traditional Thai massage since about '96. For some reason I avoided them for the first few years... Anyhow, in 1998 I ruptured two disks in my lower back (L4-L5, L5-S1). Bumrumgrad suggested immediate surgery for a estimated 450,000 Baht. I got a second opinion from home and have yet to have surgery. I struggled with mobility for several months but after confirming with doctors back home, started to get Thai massages right next to my house. The masseuse was 10 years my senior and after eight years of massage service, still went to see her Ajaan once a month for additional training. She slowly but surely reduced all my sciatica to zero, and within six months I could stand for an hour without any pain. That had been impossible before - my legs would tighten up and I would need to lie down after less than 10 minutes standing...

Long story short, I now ride around Thailand on and off-road, drive 4x4s off road and exercise quite seriously. At 55 I am apparently quite fit, especially for someone with two ruptured disks. I might have slowly recovered naturally. There may have been another way to get to where I am, but that is speculation. What I do know is that I am fully mobile, live an adventurous life, and whenever I get a twinge in my back or legs, a two-hour Thai massage will typically deal with it.

In recent years the lack of any issue has allowed me to change to Thai-oil massage which still involves manipulation and focus on nerves and tendons, but includes oil and balm. It is more relaxing and although more expensive, it is my treat to myself on a fortnightly basis... 

Just this Sunday I found a new masseuse with 15 years experience at the Ministry of Health Head Office. She worked in physical therapy and recovery roles there. I have never had a better massage. 

So, is it worth it? Depends on your status. They are luxuries for the perfectly healthy, and can be life-changing for those with issues. Only you will know which camp you are in...

2 hours ago, scorecard said:

44 years old

22 years living in Thailand

so assume he came to LOS when he was 22 years old

how has he supported himself for 22 years

what visa has been on for 22 years - is that possible?

when / where was he a mercenary if he's lived in Thailand since he was 22 years old?

 

Some explanation would be nice.

 

I arrived here when I was 22 and am significantly older than this guy. No explanation needed - it's nobody's business.

My last flight with TG was from Zurich to Bkk in 2008. I was on a business trip and any Co trip over 4 hours I flew business class. Typically we'd fly Singapore Airlines as we were based in Singapore, but this was what they got me. The lass next to me was TG staff. They were overstaffed and she got the short straw for not working that leg. They put her in business class and did not upgrade one of many regular gold-card holding customers. When I asked her why she was not in economy and an upgraded customer in her place she simply asked 'Why would we do that?' In her experience, customers never got upgraded.

That is the attitude you get with Thai Airlines. They were there for their benefit alone. Passengers are just along for the ride. Pay up, shut up, and be grateful for the privilege of being allowed on their ageing and poorly maintained aircraft. 

From the original article:

"Firstly, it helps the government keep track of the number of foreign nationals in the country and their whereabouts. This is especially important in managing overstays and ensuring that visitors comply with the terms of their visas.

Secondly, it’s part of the national security policy and by keeping updated records of foreign residents, authorities say they can more effectively monitor and prevent illegal activities.

Additionally, changing immigration policies can be a complex process, involving various stakeholders and considerations. The 90-day reporting has been in place for a long time, and any change would require careful planning and coordination.

The 90-day report is also part of the Immigration’s administrative and legal framework. Any change would require a significant overhaul of these systems, which can be resource-intensive and time-consuming."

Responding to each point above...

1. How does 90-day reporting replace the record-keeping at ports of entry? What qualitative improvement does it bring? This suggests a lack of coordination and perhaps more than one system used to track visitors (which, based on over 30 years of database and system design experience would be a design error of epic proportions). Whether one applies for a replacement visa while here or arrives on the visa that will support the entire stay, there should (must) be a centralised singular record of each visitor and visa-holder. There is no tactical advantage to confirming continued presence via an additional step. Either the visa-holder has left and that departure is captured, or the visa-holder has renewed their right to stay which is captured, or they are out of compliance with their permission to stay. The date when compliance changes to non-compliance should be updated when a renewal is completed.

2. What data is presented in a 90-day report that supports monitoring or crime prevention? Change of address is done separately. Compliance with financial obligations can be achieved in other ways. The tax department has access to inbound deposits into domestic accounts to ensure compliance with the new income tax laws, getting a simple y/n confirmation of an account's compliance with a minimum balance is not rocket science.

3. Being in place for a long time is not a reason to keep doing it. Resistance to change brings failure faster than embracing it. Thousands of old laws have been identified for review and possible removal to streamline administration. This is just one of many that need to be replaced by processes supported by a strong technical infrastructure. Complexity is an argument for rationalisation, not giving up. Those resource-intensive and time-consuming activities are learning opportunities on how to improve (should be a national goal to get better at stuff right?) and employment opportunities for the 65% of IT graduates who don't pursue technology roles due to the historically idiotic approach to IT that government and businesses have applied for years.

Hiding behind a lack of will and weak excuses and old, poorly designed systems is not how a government achieves its own goals of a tech-savvy nation.