dddave

My best friend when I was growing-up from age 7 was a cross-dresser. He was not a homosexual, he did not define himself as a woman trapped in a man's body. Rather, he felt he had dual-personas, one male, one female. He eventually married, had kids and became a very successful professional. He had no memories of being abused in any way as a child but his mother was a dressmaker specializing in dresses for young girls 2 to 5 years old and he remembers her dressing him in those dresses so she could see how they looked. His mother died suddenly from an aneurism when he was six and he always suspected the cross-dressing may have been a way for his 6 year old mind to cope with her loss.

There are sooooo many Facebook, LINE & Tic-Tok advertisements for easy and cheap driving licenses, promising to get it all done with no waiting or test and AFAIK, they are either outright scams or they are misstating what they actually do. There are constant warnings issued by DLT to be aware that there is no way to get a genuine license without going through the appropriate process. As your wife is Thai, she can make her appointment online on the DLT website. Chonbury is really busy with long waits. Rayong is reportedly much faster. The testing for foreigners at Chonbury was conducted apart from testing for Thais so I can not be sure all was the same. Day one, waited outside until they started processing applicants with appointments and sent upstairs with a queue number. After a wait, we were given color blindness tests and reaction time tests. Then ushered into a large room where the videos were played on a somewhat small display with subtitles which were very difficult to read. There is no policing in the room so people are talking loudly and it's very difficult to concentrate on the videos. There was a lunch break 12-1pm, then more videos until 3pm. It appeared nobody cared if you stayed and some people skipped out early but attendance was later taken, forms presented to be signed and those who skipped-out were not allowed to return the next day for testing. We were told to return the next day at 1pm. The next day, we were administered the 50 question multiple choice exam on a computer terminal. Then you waited. If you passed the exam, next sent to the rear of the building for the driving test on a closed road course. There are a few agents there who will rent you a car (B300) or motorbike (B100) for the test if you need one. The test consists of driving to a STOP sign. (VERY IMPORTANT TO OBSERVE STOP LINES ON PAVEMENT), then parallel parking in a designated space, then backing-up in a straight line. That's it. If you pass, sent back into the building, pay some fees, get a picture taken and issued a license. To pass the exam, it is essential to study in advance. There are sample exams on the internet and YouTube. Even if one is an experienced driver, there are questions you would never know the answer to such as "How many days in advance do you have to inform DLT if you plan to change your vehicle color?" and more than a few where the "correct" answer actually makes no sense. You can only get 5 wrong out of 50 questions so be prepared.

When I did my new license exam at Chonbury in March of this year, my medical certificate from a clinic was accepted.

I was the OP in this older topic. I ended up doing it on my own. As JOHNG points out, you have to take the full 2 day test process if your license is expired for more than 2 years. If your wife is Thai, she can make an appointment online through the DLT website. Foreigners have to make the appointment in person. She will need a health certificate which can be gotten at any clinic. The first day, you are given color vision and reaction tests. You must then sit through 5 hours of videos. 2nd day, 50 question, multiple choice test on a computer terminal. No more than 5 errors to pass. There are a lot of very technical questions that one only knows the correct answers to if one carefully watches the videos. There are many test prep videos on You Tube with sample tests. I studied these really carefully and passed first try. If you pass the exam, you then go outside for a road-test on a closed track.

My sister recently traveled to India, 40 years after traveling there as a student. Of the many changes, one she found most remarkable was that every taxi driver, even the ones still driving bicycle taxis, had a smartphone. That these people, once pretty much locked out from the rest of the world now carried in their pocket an informational device more powerful than an IBM-360 from 40 years back and that for better or for worse, were connected to a far larger world. Social Media has served to trivialize and obscure the huge impact this is now having and will have in the future.

One aspect I haven't seen discussed in this thread regarding TEMU is their return/refund policy. I've had pretty good luck with LAZADA easily returning substandard items and getting a quick refund. Not so easy with Shopee in my experience. How is TEMU. Can you actually talk to a human CS rep if you need to?

I buy the same. My sister visits every 2 years from the states and has a COSTCO card. I have her bring me 2 16 packs of these blades each time she comes. I shave daily in the shower using normal bar soap. No worries about dripping and the shower makes my medium beard so soft, the blades last about 6 weeks. I got sick of buying Thai shaving lather after several instances where the propellent ran out before the contents, thus having to throw nearly half a can away.

Ten years ago, I suffered from a somewhat similar leg pain as described by OP. I went to several different orthopedic departments in local hospitals and they all immediately jumped onto spinal issues and pushed expensive imaging procedures. Nothing they said sounded quite right. I started digging on my own on the internet and found an obscure condition (Meralgia Parasthetica) that exactly matched my symptom. (I'm not suggesting this is OPs condition) I made a print-out but every orthopedist I showed it to dismissed it out of hand and refused to even consider it. With Sheryl's help, I finally found an orthopedic Dr. who would listen: Dr. Wicharn at Bangkok Nursing Hosp. He listened to what I suggested. He was skeptical because he said that condition was quite rare but if I wanted to be sure, a nerve pathway test could be done on my leg that would confirm or rule it out. The test involved lying prone while electrical stimulation is applied to leg nerves. It's not painful but was uncomfortable. The next day when I returned for the results, Dr. Wicharn graciously apologized and said I had been right all along and confirmed the Merlagia Paesththtica. He prescribed LYRICA, a nerve relaxer which can have nasty side effects like double vision and MYONAL, an NSAID that seemed to be particularly effective. I quickly ceased taking the LYRICA because of the side effects but with the myonal, the pain was gone within a week and never returned. My main point is, Doctors can be locked into automatic responses to certain symptoms and can have a "tunnel vision" approach to further diagnosis. If it doesn't sound right, educate yourself as to exactly what you are feeling and shop till you find a Dr. who will listen and not dismiss your statements arbitrarily.

Follow-up reports like his one are so useful, I wish more users would take the time to write and post them so "Thank you!" OP. I've been using BCH for many years as my hospital of choice and have never been let down by them. Professional and competent always, never pushing unnecessary tests and procedures and reasonable fees.

A lot of barstool heroes should perhaps take note.

Maybe "Reefer Madness" wasn't wrong after all.

Since you mention eyesight issues, an e-reader will be easier on your eyes than a tablet in the long run. The tablet screen cycles 50 times a second and though you may be consciously unaware of it, your eyes aren't. E-reader displays are static, they don't cycle and thus are easier on the eyes. Additional advantages are smaller size, lighter weight and longer battery duration.

I usually read a book a week, usually on a Kindle but if I see a stack of books for sale or loan, I may pull a few out. To those of you with Amazon Kindle, if you don't know about "BOOK BUB" (https://www.bookbub.com/) check it out and sign-up for their daily newsletter. Always about 10 different books listed every day, usually no more than US$3, some 99 cents, some free. Usually a pretty good variety and some well known authors. I've been enjoying T. Jefferson Parker and Harlan Coban novels lately. Great writers.

Kerr is one of my all time favorites. I hated finishing his last book as he had passed away a few years ago so there will be no more. "Berlin Babylon" a Netflix series is very similar to the Kerr books. If you like really literate espionage books set in that period, may I suggest Alan Furst. Not his last 4 though, just going through the motions but "Night Solders", "The Polish Officer", "Dark Voyage" and "The Foreign Correspondent" are all excellent.

Really helpful. Thank you.