mrwebb8825

It started on Monday and hasn't gotten any better (4 days now). I have no idea what could be causing it. I get a mild temporal headache on the right side, my vision goes double and slightly blurry and I lose all depth perception. If I close my right eye the vision clears but still poor depth perception. I did a medical check for my work permit 3 months ago and the doctor said my blood pressure was normal which for me is not normal. It's always been slightly high but that was while I was drinking 3-4 large Heinekens every day. I stopped drinking back in April mostly out of being bored with it and to save some money. 1 of the teachers I work with suggested it might be low blood pressure which again, for me would be REALLY unusual. I have been going through my yearly stress of getting my marriage visa extension but with all the newly added BS hoops this year plus a brand new immigration office. I still smoke which is 1 factor for a slightly higher blood pressure. I haven't been sick or changed my diet in any way. I turn 60 in Oct. so not really old per say. I haven't gone to a doctor yet because I don't know what kind of doctor to see and I haven't had much free time with work.

Any thoughts or similar experiences to share would be appreciated.

I bought my Honda Phantom secondhand from the friend of the owner after the owner had gone back to the states. He left a blank signed, PoA,copy of his passport (photo page) and the green book signed. The friend wrote me out a receipt. I rode the bike 1,000km back to my home and went with the wife to register it in my name. After we had gone through the clerk and her supervisor we got bumped up to the dept head, all of which came up with a different reason why they couldn't do it. We were leaving when I got an idea; we asked the clerk if we could just register it in my wife's name. Oh, ok, no problem. Finished in 20 minutes with a new number plate and registration. Go figure. 

OP- You could enroll in a Thai language course and get an ED visa and just work from home between classes while gaining a useful skill in case you decide to retire here. Also makes it easier to meet good girls for fun.

Another option is to have a place to live here and in a neighboring country and do the 6 months a year that the embassy replied "hinted" at while doing the other 6 in the other country. 2 beach side condos isn't a bad way to live. 

look at secondhand shops for a replacement set of rims and tires. Also look on Facebook groups for Buy and Sell pages. Might just find the set you damaged.

I went with option A but think it should be raised to 150. In just a couple of short years most of the idiots will be dead and the death toll on the road will go way down and they can all pat themselves on the back while doing photo opts in front of a banner touting the lowest death toll rate in years. 

On 8/1/2019 at 8:52 AM, worgeordie said:

So now he's getting a third chance,wonder what he will do next !

regards Worgeordie

Move to California ????

On 7/31/2019 at 3:16 AM, blackcab said:

 

As stated above, the limit for taking baht to the UK is 50,000 baht.

 

 

Absolutely not. You are guaranteed to lose money. Change baht to pounds in Thailand, at Vasu or Super Rich exchanges.

 

Today, Vasu are selling at 38 baht. That means 50,000 baht would get you 1,315 pounds. The UK Post Office is buying at 43.5294. That means the same 50,000 baht would get you 1,148 pounds, or 167 pounds less.

 

As you can see, taking baht to the UK will lose you well in excess of 10 per cent of what you could achieve in Thailand.

 

(Don't forget to take your passport to the Thai exchange).

the only thing I would add to the advice above is buy the smallest denomination possible as it sells at a lower rate than the higher notes. When I took a short trip back to the states I bought 100,000 baht worth of $20s and $10s and traded them at a bank in the states for $100s. Paid for about 6-10% of my flight. 

1st question: Do you have a Thai TIN? (Tax Identification Number) If "No" then you're already screwed and there's no refund. If "Yes" then you can keep getting your monthly salary and just go to the tax office yourself and make the monthly payment or you can wait until the end of the tax year and file to see how much you owe.

As for the form from the school, go ask the finance officer (every school has 1) and if they refuse then you can either report them to the labor office or find a new job.

If they give you the form, make sure your TIN is listed or it won't help anyway.

Anyone started SS recently? I have heard there's a long wait before you get your 1st benefit check (payment) but when it comes it's for a larger amount dating back to when you filed.

ETA: Given the current low exchange rates would it be better to open a foreign currency account and have the payments deposited there and wait for a better rate?

I've been looking at this also. If I claim at 62 it would take me until age 74 to hit the "break even" point in total amount collected vs waiting until age 66 and 10 months (latest info from SS office in Manila) If I created a foreign currency account and had all benefits paid directly into it and kept working until I was 65 that would be 3 yrs of benefits collected and not being used which would be quite a chunk of change. Also, in a foreign currency account the money market fluctuations would have no immediate effect.

I recently stopped drinking (only ever drank beer) but I still smoke and have for the last 50 yrs so I really don't think I'll live to see 80 even if I quit today so my concern is the amount of medical benefit I can claim from the US while living in Thailand. If it's zero then there's no reason not to claim early to stock up for the wife.

If the medical benefits all kick in when I claim then that's another argument for claiming early. If no medical benefits can be claimed while living abroad then that too is a reason to start stock piling cash early.

IF, by waiting, I can claim full medical benefits while living here then that's a strong argument to wait until FRA.

I have no assets in the states but will gain small amounts of inheritance as my parents pass but that will be lump sum payments and not enough to change my tax bracket. (probably around 1 million baht)

Work Permit cancellation is the responsibility of the employer, at least when it comes to schools. My last school didn't cancel my wp and they were fined 20,000 baht but I couldn't get a new 1 until they canceled the old 1. This also involved 2 different labor departments. 1 in the provinces and 1 in bkk.

If you're giving money to a Thai from a checking account then just write him/her a check. Thais can cash them much easier than a foreigner can. 

maybe this will help

Bang Son

Names in general confuse people here. At my sister-I-L's funeral, 4 people argued with my wife's dad about how to spell her name on the board outside the temple and that was all in Thai.

On 6/27/2019 at 7:22 AM, lamyai3 said:

This underscores the importance of education. It'd be disastrous if people just assumed they were buttplugs...

and here I thought you got buttplugs from eating too many bananas and too much cheese

You know Guam is like 10 sqm and 1/4 is owned by the military, right? Wondering what you might buy? 

anyway, this might help: http://www.doyouneedvisa.com/visa/Thailand/Guam

Written warnings w/o challenge AND winning said challenge(s) at the time received releases said employer from any obligation to pay employee severance pay. You're lucky they didn't withhold your last salary as compensation for their troubles.

On another note, if said employer didn't cancel your work permit within 15 days a) you won't be able to get another 1, b) they will incur a fine of up to 20,000 baht. Minor payback but it's something to smile about. 

Thee's a kind of fruit tree that grows here in Thailand and the wife said its fruit is used as rat poison. It's a green ball on the tree about the size of a softball and a hard brown "shell" after it falls off the tree about the size of a baseball.

My wife uses them for us all the time as we live in a "no cooking" condo. She gets major discounts every time and has a tracking app that tracks the driver to make sure he/she stays on course. Never a delivery charge and she always gets a choice of restaurants when ordering. 

PS. She doesn't use or recommend foodpanda

14 hours ago, expatfromwyoming said:

It will interesting times ahead- under Trump CEOs got an average $500,000 pay bump in 2018, while the average US worker got an extra $1,000

yes it will. By your numbers the "average US worker" got a 20% pay raise while the CEOs got about 3-5% but hey, it's only been 1 yr so maybe these same changes will suddenly flip in the coming yrs. 

12 hours ago, bristolboy said:

And if you think Nafta was a bad deal, what makes you think Trump's renegotiation of it was a good one? Economics say it will make little to no difference.

aren't those the same economists that said manufacturing was dead and gone and that president Trump would never make 3% quarterly growth happen? Would they also be the same people who panicked over proposed tariffs on Mexico for not helping when our own congress wouldn't step up? Seems to me that NOT following the status quo is working better than following it.

2 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

You application would not be accepted in most cases.

If you were claiming income from income earned by working for your own company only proof of that income would be needed since you might not be doing monthly tax payments.

 

The would be your tax return for last year. You have to prove your income for 2 or 3 months before you do the application since it is a new year.

So I would have to stop by the tax office and pay them tax for 3 months? (started May 1st and applying the beginning of August)

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

I have no updated it for new income options for those that cannot get proof of income from their embassy.

For those working here it varies a lot from office to office and there are very few reports about it.

You will need proof of tax payments for at least the past 3 months and your annual tax return if you were working last year.

Many offices want a copy of the company registration and some more than that from the company.

Best to make a trip to the office and ask what they require.

Thank you Joe. What happens when you don't have taxes taken out of your salary on a monthly basis? My wife and I file together every year as we still have a mortgage on our 2nd home and her salary isn't that high. (she's a teacher also) We have yearly tax receipts from the tax office. Also, this is the 1st year I  have taken a full time position. Working a partial year gets taxed at a much lower rate.

On 6/12/2019 at 9:22 AM, ubonjoe said:

You can apply for the extension during the last 30 days of any of the 90 day entries from your non-o visa.

You will need 400k baht in a Thai bank in your name only for 2 months on the date you apply or proof of 40k baht income.

You will need 2 completed TM7 forms. Download, complete and print 2 sided this Fillable TM7 form.pdf

When you apply for the extension and is accepted you will get a under consideration stamp with a report back date 30 days from the date you current permit to stay ends (Amnat rule).

My general list of documents and etc is here. Marriage Extension Requirements 2.pdf

Joe, the 1st page in your list says; "Proof of income letter from your embassy" but the US embassy doesn't issue those any more. This will be my 1st year seeking an extension based on income earned here in Thailand. What do I need from my employer besides the contract? If it helps, I'll be applying at the brand new Nakhon Nayok office (opened about 2-3 months ago) staffed by officers from the Choackensoa (<-spelling) office where we always used to go since they took over for SaKoaw. My wife and I both work in Bangkok but live in Nakhon Nayok.