dddave

Arc welder probably more effective. Hey, Crossy??

7-11s are good places to buy batteries because the turnover rate is pretty high so chances of fresh stock are better. Still check the stamped date though

Hah!! Show a picture, you say. Last month I entered a Rampho Market (Jomtien) barber shop, one lady in attendance. Her English was minimal. I'm an old man and wanted an old man's hair cut, long on the sides. I carefully pointed to the many pictures on the wall of young guys with sidewalls.."Mai Oww" I said pointedly. "OK, OK" said she. I noticed her pick-up the clippers, probably to trim the neck first, so I thought. 'VROOOOMMM" Like a harvester going through a hayfield, the hair along the side of my head was cut down to stubble. I jumped from the chair: "What you do????" Received back that inimitable blank Thai stare. Had I thought about it, I might have done what the mad Russian did. Instead, I just walked out, knowing any further discussion would be pointless: what is mowed down, is mowed down. You can't glue it back on. I rode around for a bit, looking like an 80's London punk I eventually entered another barber shop where English was spoken. Not much they could do except match the mutilation on the other side, revealing to the world a whole new field of age spots. I don't waste as much time combing my hair these days, no muss from the motorbike helmet any more. It's slowly growing back. Just because you show a picture, do not have confidence that you will get what you want to get. The depth of Thais not understanding what we think they understand has no bottom. "OK,OK" can really mean "Ehhh?"

Where oh where is former TV poster FKA: "Asanee"?? He had an encyclopedic knowledge of Bangkok's bus routes presented with an always dry sense of humor. I hope he is still out there.

The condo I rent is 300 yards off Jomtien Beach, up around Soi-10. Yup...fireworks popping sometimes in the early hours but nothing like a constant "war zone" declared by the OP. Much worse is the constant din of open piped motorcycles and tricked out cars racing up and down 2nd Rd. the entire night. I'm on the 10th floor but the noise reflects off the roadway and sometimes it's like I'm a few feet away. That's what needs enforcement. Already this year, several deaths involving speeding bikes on 2nd Rd. But, hey! I choose to live here. I renewed my lease knowing all the above. You want to live in a popular resort area, you better be willing to accept the downsides. If you buy or lease without renting for a bit and then don't like it, that's your failure.

When Wang went bankrupt ("No major corporation will ever use those toy PCs for documents": An Wang) the entire Lowell campus pictured in the OP went up for sale. Problem was, it was full of asbestos, top to bottom. It finally ended-up at auction and the entire property sold for less than $1M. Sat vacant for nearly 10 years.

I agree that when changing small amounts, the few baht saved is hardly worth the trudge. I think more important is to remind her to ask for at least 2000 in small money: couple of 500s, then a mix of smaller. Always nice to have correct change at hand.

There are FX kiosks in baggage claim but very poor rate. Best airport rates are at kiosks to the left of the Airport Rail Link station in the basement level.

A number of years ago, a person I knew worked for a pharmaceutical company. He took local street versions of Viagra and Cialis along with a few others and had a lab analyze them for content. Virtually all of the street Cialis was actually sildenafil, about 50mg formed to look like Cialis. Most of the street Viagra clones were genuine sildenafil but in amounts somewhat less than marked, most 100mg tablets having less than 70%.

Likely to have been leaching off family for their entire term here. I'd guess the families had already shut the tap off and these geniuses tried to get it turned back on. Sad part is the family will probably now spend a fortune getting them out of the goo they are in. I wish they'd say: "Enjoy your extra 3 years in Thailand. We're done with you."

PM sent.

One mistake people often make at Rutnin is booking an EYE EXAMINATION when what they really want is a simple VISION TEST. An eye examination is exactly that, an exam of the eye itself, for disease and any other physical issues. It usually DOES NOT include a vision test. If you want a vision test and prescription, you have to ask for that specifically. If you are considering progressive lenses, make sure the prescription has your PD (pupillary distance)

I received the most thorough eye exam of my life at Rutnin Eye Hospital. The results were also clearly explained to me by the ophthalmologist.

While never a great MP, Annie's was always my last stop before grabbing a taxi to the airport for the long trip home.

I take 25mg of Losartan daily. When I switched to Losartan after Valsartan became temporarily unavailable (some contamination issue IIRC) I did extensive research and sought advice from my primary care Dr. in the US. It was generally advised that people over 70 not use a larger dose than 25mg if their BP remained within limits. The reason I'm considering changing back to Valsartan is that I have noticed my BP in somewhat elevated in the evening though not alarmingly so. Valsartan reportedly has a 24 hour duration while Losartan's effectiveness is said to trail off at 16 to 18 hours. While I have your attention another issue I discovered: I have taken Metoprolol since bypass surgery in 2017. I was originally prescribed Metoprolol Succinate. I just realized that for the last 5 years, I've been buying Metoprolol Tartrate: 25mg per day. I did not realize until today that the tartrate has a very short effectiveness. I wonder If it is actually having any kind of beneficial effects. There are strong warnings about just stopping taking it. It's suggested one taper off but I only take 1/4 of a 100mg tablet as it is. I don't know how I'd halve that small an amount. Should I attempt to find Metoprolol Succinate locally?

Is there a Thai generic version of valsartan available in Thailand? I was originally prescribed valsartan among other drugs for high blood pressure in The US. At some point here in Thailand, valsartan became impossible to buy so I switched to Losartan. My BP has stayed pretty much within safe limits but I was recently reviewing my meds and think valsartan's longer effectiveness may be beneficial.

In the past year, I bought 2 Win-11 mini-PC's from Lazada. I use both as TV streamers and internet/YT browsing, using the large screen TV as a monitor...easier on my old eyes. I bought them because the mini-PCs I was using before could not play 4K streaming. One is a Chinese "GenMachine" w/ Ryzen 5600H CPU, 16gb ram, 512 SSD. About B6200. I've used it about 9 months now with no issues, streams 4K content very well, never overheats even in hot weather. (Listing for same on NewEgg https://www.newegg.com/genmachine-5600h-ren3000/p/2SW-0090-00025 The 2nd Mini-PC for my bedroom TV was a much less expensive "Peladn" Chinese brand: Intel N-100 CPU, 8gb ram, 256SSD. B3600. Though essentially a Celeron processor, the N-100 is very capable of running 4K streaming video. I don't game but reports say it's not very good for gaming. So far, it has performed with no issues. Streams 4K nicely. Great value for the money. This with less ram/ssd: https://www.newegg.com/p/2SW-007T-00015

I used to act in TV commercials and TV shows in Thailand. Stopped just prior to covid but my name is still on a lot of agency lists. Twice in the last two years I've been contacted by agents wanting to know if I was interested in going to Japan for porn work. Not a very good deal, actually. Would have had to pay my own way there and accommodations. Work and pay not guaranteed. Still, the idea gave me a good laugh. Picturing scenes from "Lost in Translation"

When my friend was hit by a car and died last year, his brother ran into multiple roadblocks accessing his BKB account. First and worst, there was no written Thai will which immediately makes it much tougher on everybody (get on it, guys if you care about your local loved ones). Getting access not only to the bank account but also insurance proceeds paid by the drivers insurance company was a nightmare. He had to get copies of not only his own, but of all his siblings birth certs. and get statements from each that he was the sole person to collect the funds. He had to petition a Thai court to be recognized as the executor. It is now into the 2nd year and still not all resolved. He is making his 3rd trip here soon, hopefully to finalize it all. Nothing can be done casually after you are gone. Get legal advice if your estate is divided between your home country and here in Thailand. A simple will just doesn't cut it.

The coastal area around Prachuap Khiri Khan, Pranbury, Chumpon usually has the lowest pollution scores but that doesn't mean they don't also have their bad days when the winds carry it.

Actually, I'd file this under "Happy News"

Vietnamese pickpocket gangs used to come to Thailand whenever there was a big concert, like the Modanna concert 10 years ago and work the jammed-in concert crowd. I remember the police busted about a dozen of them.

Is an METV limited to 2 entries or an unlimited number of entries for it's duration?

I had a similar 60s kebab experience while stationed in Morocco while I was in the US Navy. Street vendors sold lamb skewers cooked over local charcoal, wrapped in a flatbread with various chopped herbs, tomato and spicy sauce, perhaps what is now sold as "Harissa" 1 Dirham,, at that time, 5 to a dollar so 20 Cents. Also had an attempted coup: The then King piloted his own 727. While he was returning from France to Morocco, some Moroccan Air Force malcontents tried to shoot his plane down. A lot of people in the passenger section were killed. The King was a quick thinker. he got on the radio and said: "OK, The bastard's dead, you can stop shooting." The rebels believed it and broke-off the attack. They were all shot the next day. Funny story: During an orientation lecture when I first arrived, the lecturer was discussing buying meat and produce at local markets. "Don't ever buy hanging meat with no flies on it!! Only buy hanging meat with fly's" He went on to explain: "Vendors know Americans hate fly's so they spray the meat with DDT"

A friend is currently wheelchair bound and we were discussing how useless so many of the ramps are. At best, they are often way too steep for a wheelchair user to ascend without somebody also pushing from behind. Also not unusual for them to have turns and bends to narrow to negotiate. The BTS in Bangkok is notorious for this with the access ramps for the elevators.