dddave

I flew LH, BKK-FRA 2 months ago. I flew coach but the PE set-up did not look that much better. Aircraft was an old 747-400, no seatback IFE. Very much a LCC experience, more Ryan Air than the LH of old.

If you have itchy bites and have Coca-Cola handy, rub a little on the bite. Stops the itch amazingly well.

He should do some research before he comes. Since the suit will be used elsewhere, he should determine which materials are best suited to his local climate. Suits come in many styles and have many features that are not obvious but that can make a big difference in usability and comfort. The tailor shop is not the best place to make the many important decisions he'll need to make to get a suit that suits him. He really should have a pretty good idea of what he wants before he goes in.

He should also shop locally before he comes here and find out how much a decent "Off the Rack" suit, altered to his needs would cost at home.

Though tailors in Pattaya & Bangkok advertise very low prices, many people have found that once they upgrade the material to something decent and durable and include features that make for a better suit, the price starts going up and not infrequently beyond what a suit would cost at home.

Many people have found that you very often don't get what you ordered in the first place. I once placed an order for a large quantity of overcoats, all the same cut and cloth, in various sizes at a supposedly reputable Pattaya tailor. What I got was a hodge-podge of materials and styles. What I learned was that a large portion of the "custom" or "Bespoke" apparel sold here is actually mass produced in factories here and in other Asian nations, including China. They will pull a suit out of stock that most closely resembles what you ordered and alter it to your measurements but chances are that the material and cut won't exactly conform to what you expect.

They invariably demand a large deposit, usually 50%+ , when the order is placed so their cost and some profit is covered in case you refuse the suit. You can argue, threaten, yell and carry on all you want.....you will NEVER get the deposit back. It is never a good idea to tell them your true departure date as many will delay delivering the finished suit until the last minute, thus making it impossible for the customer to demand changes and corrections.

I hope you do get some recommendations from people who have gotten what they paid for. I'm sure there are some excellent tailors out there but I think they are probably few and far between.

If that price includes hanging track with pull chords, completely installed, then it does not seem an outlandish price. If for the curtains only, then too high.

Of late, I've been getting a pop-up window "The server threw an exception" when I attempt to open Chrome.

When I do manage to open Chrome, it seems to be running very slow with a lot page opening failures.

I'm in Bangkok on True ADSL.

Any explanations?

Head to Foodland...just keep expectations low. They have for years done Thanksgiving dinner for a very low price...less than B300 all in.

Everything is there: turkey, dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes, ect but the portions will insure that you won't experience the traditional overstuffed feeling....about the portion of an old fashioned "TV Dinner".

Things are usually finished by late afternoon....4pm or so.

The Foodland on Sukhumvit Soi 16 is a good choice...more spacious seating than other branches. Don't forget that Soi 16 does not go directly off Sukhumvit; you have to walk behind the Stock Exchange building on the Asok/Ratchapidesic intersection.

If that is a little to low rent, Bullys Pub between Suk-4 & Suk.-2 puts on a good spread as does Bourbon Street, on Soi Ekkamai, about 3 or 4 blocks on the left walking from Sukhumvit. Both normally less than B1000.

If you are handy to Phra Khanong, there is a carton factory about a 5 minute walk from the BTS that I have recommended many times on this forum.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/420487-where-can-i-get-carton-box-around-nana/

Note: The "Family Mart" I refer to in the directions has been torn down.

The factory is closed Sundays.

My understanding is that in common usage, "Jailbreaking" refers to removing restrictions built in by a particular carrier restricting the phone to only their network, such as AT&T does with phones purchased under a 2 year service contract and significantly discounted.

"Rooting" in common usage refers more to getting into a phones operating system and modifying the manufacturers original content. An example is taking a phone originating in China with only Chinese apps and no Google access and "Rooting" it to use tools posted on technical websites to remove the Chinese "ROM" and replace with a more universal ROM.

I am over 70 and fly over 150,000 miles a year as an air courier. When I first began to do this, after a long flight my feet would be so swollen I could not get my shoes on. Obviously, DVT was a high risk.

I invested in several pair of high quality "compression stockings", specifically designed to prevent thrombosis and swelling. The result of using them is dramatic. Even after 15 hour flights, my feet and legs have no swelling at all.

Top quality compression stockings are not inexpensive: $25 to $50 a pair on Amazon and proper fit is paramount. There are several YouTube videos of how to properly measure yourself and get the correct fit.

They come in several lengths: calf high, knee high and full leg. I opted for the knee high and as I said, they work well for me but I suggest you ask your Dr. which would be best for you.

Find a local moto taxi driver you can communicate with. Offer him a couple of hundred baht to drive you around the 'hood you want for a couple of hours. Those guys know every apartment around and especially that will rent to "farang"; some don't. Most have a phone number posted somewhere.

Most places will want 3 months in advance: 1st month, last month and one month security. They will charge you more for 3 months but if you hide that fact, you will probably have a hard time getting your deposit back when you try to leave.

Don't forget that rent is only part of the story. Most rentals mark electricity up, some as much as B10/unit which if you use AC, can really add-up. Water should be B150/mo or less but some places will try for B500+/mo. TV and internet can also be add-on's.

Smartphones with decent cameras have made a huge dent in the "point and shoot" camera biz. Where five years ago, a decent shop might have in stock 50+ models in many price ranges, now, there's not that much to choose from.

Canon "Power Shot" cameras seem well represented on most "Top Budget Camera" lists. A lot depends on what feels good in your hands.

I would bet that most of the better Indian restaurants in Pattaya make weekly supply runs to little India in Bangkok to get the good stuff.

Boy, for some of you guys...good work is never good enough. You spend more time looking for whatever you can piss and moan about rather than give any credit for good effort. Having a perp in cuffs within 48 hours is good police work by any standard.

I've no problem with re-enactments starring the offender, it amounts to an unequivocal confession and acceptance of guilt. Case closed.

Not like in the west where the "alleged" arsonist will be supplied with a team of lawyers at public expense who will expend a bounty of billable hours finding whatever technicality they can to get incontrovertible evidence such as the video of the crime in process disallowed because the camera was not certified or some crap like that.

He walks while the bones of the woman who burned to death at his hands, sit in an urn.

Who's concept of justice is the more flawed?

This is more of a question than a comment. Chaiyaphum is south of Chumphae, and therefore closer to Bangkok. It should be possible to go from Bangkok to Chaiyaphum nonstop, without going to Chumphae first, and without taking a bus that terminates in Loei ? I remember in about 2000 I travelled from Bangkok - Chaiyaphum - Chumphae.

I wasn't suggesting the bus stopped first at Chum Phae. I was merely mentioning my own destination when taking that route. Yes: stops in Chiayaphum before crossing into Khon Kaen.

I have a pair of MPOW Swift BT earphones ($25 on Amazon, also sold by Lazada) and was very surprised by the exceptional sound quality, especially stereo separation. They have an assortment of "ear flanges" that help keep them in place for sport use. I've never put that to the test as the most I do is fast walking. They look kind of bulky but are not once in place. Charge lasts about 6 hours.

Samsung Service

02 689 3232

(Have a cup of coffee and a book...often very long hold times. Morning, just after 8am best)

The VIP bus out of Mor Chit that stops in Chiyaphum is marked as "Muang Loei", the final destination.

I've taken it frequently, getting off in Chum Phae Khon Kaen. In my experience, the bus is usually full and for some reason, they seem to use only old and tired buses on that route. My last trip, the AC ceased functioning 30 minutes out of Bangkok; not a pleasant ride.

And while we're having a moan, let's mention the BTS's discriminatory policy towards farang over 60s.

To their credit, the MRT by contrast does not discriminate.

Just why is it "discriminatory" for an enterprise providing a public service to decline to extend discounts to foreign expats who for the most part, enjoy an income level higher than a majority of the local citizenry.

I appreciate that I save a few Baht on the MRT but I do not consider "Senior Discounts" an entitlement I have earned by managing to grow old.

Most discounts I see aimed at seniors are more promotional than anything else. Restaurants often offer such discounts during normally dead hours between 4 to 6pm or early weekdays. It's a nice perk and I appreciate it when it is offered but to consider oneself discriminated against when such a discount is not extended seems to me rather absurd.

A quick Google reveals that an orange tint appearing on Samsung TV's is a known issue:

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110209095315AAkCuvF

I'm just about to finally replace my 5 ish year old i9000. & was thinking the zenphone 2 with 4gb ram and quad core processor, at around 299 us looks a deal. Thoughts anyone?

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

The Zenphone-2 is a great piece of hardware. The problem is, Asus insists on stuffing it with their propitiatory "ZenUI" and all manner of bloatware, most of which you'll never use and each update brings even more. These unwanted apps are difficult to remove, even for a person fairly experienced with "rooting" phones. For it's 5.5" screen size, it is somewhat bulkier than some competing 5.5" models.

A friend who owned one found he had to use a flip case that covered the screen as he was frequently sending "pocket" calls...usually to the last called number.

A lot of people love the Z-2 but unless you play a lot of heavy duty games or like to keep multiple apps running at the same time, do you really need 4gb RAM? There are more than a few excellent phones now in this price range. The newest iteration of the Motorola Moto-G looks pretty good.

Thanks don't know if theres anytruth in it but Got told that Motorola were stopping making phones and it would make service difficult to come by.

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Motorola is now wholly owned by Lenovo. They market Motorola's in the west and Lenovo's in Asia and Eastern Europe.

Lenovo took a beating in the smartphone biz the last few quarters. The biggest slice of their business is China and upstart brands like Xiaomi and OnePlus cut deeply into their market share. Their next big push is India...

Motorola has a problem in the US because even though it is an excellent value, it is not a "status" phone. Carrier subsidies make I-Phones and top Samsungs relatively cheap to acquire: $200 with a 2 year contract so the majority go with those premium brands with Motorola and the other mid-range brands scratching for less than 30% of the market.

If you are familiar with the Phratunam area (Pantip Plaza), there are several small non-chain optical shops on Petchabury Rd., the side opposite Pantip, several blocks closer to Ratchathewi. I've used Pai Bun optical several times for repairs and adjustments but these were standard glasses.

Always get a price quote from these shops before agreeing to any work being done.

You might consider a PRICELINE.COM search for that area with your dates.

I'm just about to finally replace my 5 ish year old i9000. & was thinking the zenphone 2 with 4gb ram and quad core processor, at around 299 us looks a deal. Thoughts anyone?

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

The Zenphone-2 is a great piece of hardware. The problem is, Asus insists on stuffing it with their propitiatory "ZenUI" and all manner of bloatware, most of which you'll never use and each update brings even more. These unwanted apps are difficult to remove, even for a person fairly experienced with "rooting" phones. For it's 5.5" screen size, it is somewhat bulkier than some competing 5.5" models.

A friend who owned one found he had to use a flip case that covered the screen as he was frequently sending "pocket" calls...usually to the last called number.

A lot of people love the Z-2 but unless you play a lot of heavy duty games or like to keep multiple apps running at the same time, do you really need 4gb RAM? There are more than a few excellent phones now in this price range. The newest iteration of the Motorola Moto-G looks pretty good.

HIS Tours heavily advertises Japan tours. Don't know if they have CM office.

There are several on Petchabury Rd., about a 10 minute walk from Ratchathewi BTS, one stop past Siam. "The Glow" for one. A new one was recently opened in the same area but I forget the name. Try a booking.com search on Petchabury Rd. The Asia Hotel, directly accessible from the Ratchathewi BTS platform is far from new but has a lot of history and old world ambiance, also a very interesting Cabaret.

There are several mid-range hotels close to the National Stadium BTS, opposite MBK.

.