dddave

The Audio store on the mezzanine level of Times Sq. in Bangkok is closed and windows papered over. I always used to walk slowly past, admiring the decorator style, high end audio gear on display but I never saw a customer inside. I always wondered if the glitzy styled speakers and futuristic components sounded as good as they looked.

The free DTAC SIM's were a little odd regarding the registration....very odd actually. I decided to use one of the free ones I picked-up and put it in an old, spare phone. There were activation instructions with the packaging that were simple and involved a call to an operator; That done, I was in business, no passport number asked for, no nothing. (This was almost a year since the passport requirement had been enacted. I was puzzled but..OK.

When I tried to top the SIM up via an ATM;.. no go. Transaction wouldn't go through. Later I stopped by a DTAC office. The clerk looked my number up, clicked the keyboard a few times, credited the 100 baht to the number and handed the phone back to me. "Don't I need to register this?" I asked as I tried to hand her my passport. "No need" she said, "Already register" and there she showed me on the computer screen some Thai name I had never seen before registered to my SIM.

Go figure.

HaHa...1541 = Bang-Bang-bang.....how those things even lasted six months is a wonder. Yes...typing pages of code from "Compute Gazette"...then days of debugging trying to find the period you entered instead of a comma, that tape drive took an eternity to load anything...then there was the 1200 baud modem.

Jack Tramiel, the late Commodore founder and insane micromanager was a true crazed genius who, had he not been such a notorious tightwad could have surpassed Bill Gates and Steven Jobs.

Someday, when you're bored, Google him. There was some really interesting stuff that came out after he died in 2013.

I was one of the OP's originally reporting the free DTAC SIM's stacked on the Immigration desks for free. I traveled out of Survanabhumi and returned last week and there were no free SIM's at Immigration.

So I guess after many months of not smoking I be all right

Not really. Most people I know who have quit, then gone back to smoking reverted somewhere around the six to 9 month mark. You really have to anticipate that the first year or two will be a challenge. If you can figure a way to give yourself some short term rewards to reinforce your goal, so much the better. maybe promise yourself a "special" night out every two months you stay cigarette free or maybe a dinner in a great restaurant...deserving it because of the money you have saved not smoking.

Everybody is different but ultimately it's you vs. you.

Keep in mind what I said before: If you can justify one, then the next one will be even easier to justify and the one following that..."Oh well, what the hell..."

The world is a violent place; nothing new really, it's just that the instantaneous perspective we get from the internet makes it seem closer and more intimate. Look at any newspaper from 30, 50, even 100 years ago and you will see stories of the same random and senseless violence that plagues the world today. You can be in the wrong place at the wrong time anywhere.

Even the most developed nations have daily, deadly attacks at schools and workplaces, sometimes in beautiful places like Colorado and an Idyllic Norwegian island . Governments swing all over the place from year to year in their attitudes to their poorer and disadvantaged citizens. Do you think Europe will be any more tolerant to Thai Immigrants, kids less cruel at school to outsiders? France is a beautiful place but just as the Land of Smiles has rot deep in the core, so do all nations and so does France.

I started at the same age you did and quit in my middle 40's. I was on a skiing trip with a girl I really liked and she got sick in the car from my smoking. I put the ciggies in the glove compartment and never took them out again. I decided that I could never allow myself "Just one", that if I could justify one, the next would be easier to justify and so on. I kept having re-occurring dreams that I would be at a party and suddenly realize I was smoking...I'd wake up feeling terrible....then so relived that it had just been a dream.

The urge to smoke again was never compelling and after a year or two, disappeared. I have never had "Just one"

I'm in my seventies now and sincerely believe that if I had not curtailed my two pack+ a day habit, I never would have made it this far. It was the single best thing I ever did for myself.

I wish you a similar success.

If you will only being staying in Vientiane for a short period before returning to Thailand, there is baggage storage available at BKK. You could eliminate what you don't need, store it and make the weight for the Vientiane trip.

OP

I actually do know a person intensely interested in finding a teaching position anywhere in Thailand. Your post is vague and who you are addressing is unclear but if you would send me a PM with your contact details, I will immediately pass it on to this person.

Thanks Larry for the VFW information. I will get in touch with them. Yes, I do live in Bangkok.

I remember in the past there was a lot of discussion about which tests in the expensive premium packages were unnecessary and which tests sometimes omitted in the lower tier packages should be added as an option.

Assuming a 65 year old man, apparently in generally good health; which test should be mandatory?

What are the usual symptoms of both gallstone problems in general and bile duct blockage?

Hmmm...I wonder how much he has invested in a hydroponics supply company?

Did it her way. Not much more one can ask. Beats hell out of dying in a hospital or nursing home room.

You will be applying for an extension of stay based upon retirement not a OA visa,

In order to apply for the extension you must first obtain a non immigrant visa entry. You can do it by doing a change of visa status at Bangkok immigration and a few other nearby offices at any time during the 60 day entry from your visa up to the last 15 days. It requires 2 trips to immigration to get the visa/entry stamps about 15 days apart.

If not living in or near Bangkok your best option might be to get a single entry non-o visa in Vientiane or Penang.

Where are you living now?

I am living in Bkk now. I cannot transition with the METV? A Visa office in Pattaya told me it was no problem but I believe what you guys say about this.

It's not a problem...you just have to go through the proper steps as posters before me outlined: 1st, Change in Visa status, they will give you a return date at which time you get the O/A visa then do the Retirement Extension.

All the forms are available at the front Information desk at Chang Wattana. They will also tell you which copies you need. Fill them out and go downstairs to the copy shop. They are very efficient and will know what you need...very cheap.

Then go back upstairs to the 2nd Information desk inside the offices and they will review your paperwork, give you a queue number and direct you to the appropriate section. Bring several visa size pictures, always good to have a spare.

Why continue causing confusion with inaccurate information ?

There is NO O/A visa available from within Thailand !

Whoops...My bad, wrong term.

You will be applying for an extension of stay based upon retirement not a OA visa,

In order to apply for the extension you must first obtain a non immigrant visa entry. You can do it by doing a change of visa status at Bangkok immigration and a few other nearby offices at any time during the 60 day entry from your visa up to the last 15 days. It requires 2 trips to immigration to get the visa/entry stamps about 15 days apart.

If not living in or near Bangkok your best option might be to get a single entry non-o visa in Vientiane or Penang.

Where are you living now?

I am living in Bkk now. I cannot transition with the METV? A Visa office in Pattaya told me it was no problem but I believe what you guys say about this.

It's not a problem...you just have to go through the proper steps as posters before me outlined: 1st, Change in Visa status, they will give you a return date at which time you get the O/A visa then do the Retirement Extension.

All the forms are available at the front Information desk at Chang Wattana. They will also tell you which copies you need. Fill them out and go downstairs to the copy shop. They are very efficient and will know what you need...very cheap.

Then go back upstairs to the 2nd Information desk inside the offices and they will review your paperwork, give you a queue number and direct you to the appropriate section. Bring several visa size pictures, always good to have a spare.

You may need a second income statement, one for the change in visa status and one for the extension....at least I did 6 years ago when I did mine, they would not accept a copy. When a friend did his a few years ago, they accepted a color copy. Maybe somebody else knows what they are asking for now. Other documents are a health certificate and a proof of residence. I don't know if they still ask for a criminal background check...anybody?

Thanks Longball for your helpful response, I appreciate the links. I reside in Bangkok so the JUSMAG office is pretty easy for me to get to. I never joined any of the Veterans organizations but now wish I had as I got cheated out of years of benefits. They would have helped me straighten it out long ago.

I hope the General enjoys his new Ferrari.

Thai monks are certainly no worse than the stunning number of western clergy that rape children, then hide behind their bishop's robes.

Thanks for nothing, save dogs, dogs eat and get healthy, make more dogs, out on street, somebody save that dog, eat and get healthy, make more dogs, out on street after puppy cuteness wears off, not a solution, rather aggravating the problem further....

Kind of cold but essentially true. All species overpopulate when food is plentiful, then decline; usually from disease when the food supply is curtailed. Though this man has a compassionate heart, he should give some consideration as to what will happen when he is gone and those dependent dogs go hungry.

Dogs are like refugees, the more you provide for them, the more will come.

Though I'm a US veteran and have some military pension benefits, I have never been to JUSMAG on Sathorn Rd.

I am in need of some information regarding my VA health benefits and have heard over the years that there is a military retirement information desk there as well as a local VFW branch. There is little current information in the TV archives.

Can anybody tell me what their general hours are? A post from 2005 says Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays. Is that still the case?

Is the retirement desk open all the time or only specific times? Is an appointment required for retirement counselling?

I have heard 2nd hand that some US veterans are able to get medical treatments here in Bangkok paid for by the VA. I suspect they may be specific service connected disabilities and conditions but if anybody has knowledge of this, I'd appreciate knowing more. I was recently enrolled in the VA Medical System but have not used it's services yet.

If you live in Bangkok and like bikes, there is currently a pretty good display on the lower 3 floors of Terminal-21 (Asok BTS) There were a couple of Benelli models on display. Others were BMW, Kawasaki, Yamaha, H-D as well as some Asian manufacturers.

EMIRATES just announced a six day sale starting today for travel to Europe May-September. One way fares are advertised and some are quite low. Check it out.

Mediocre steaks can be had in the B500-1000 range but a top quality steak, properly cooked will cost darn near New York prices...for instance, the New York steakhouse in The Marriott Hotel near Nana; great steak but you will leave at least B3000 lighter, especially if you want a drink and a glass of wine. The Landmark Hotel has a steak restaurant but it has had very mixed reviews. A lot of people like Neil's Tavern near the US Embassy.

There are many new restaurants in Bangkok and there might be some hidden steak gems out there. Check out www. [email protected], a free local lifestyle weekly with a lot of restaurant listings and reviews. Their website has a lot of info.

The restaurant ap "EATIGO" has become very popular in the last year and has great local dining deals; up to 50% off at some restaurants.

Not at all fancy but if you like fish 'n chips, "Bus Stop" on Soi 4 is as good as any...huge portion, crisp and light. Not cod, but very tasty.

Be careful with "seafood" restaurants in central Bangkok...there are a few notorious rip-off joints. Maybe another poster will remember the name of the one sometimes in the news for the outrageous prices charged visiting tourists. Often the fish prices quoted are "per 100g"...it's a shark tank out there.

Hmmm...don't know why the font changed when I posted the magazine link...strange.