fittobethaied

Just 3 days ago I went through this process and had no problems paying for my US Passport renewal using a credit card. However, after I signed up for the Thai Post Office Mart to pay the 100Baht for the return envelope, there was a glitch in the website. After putting in all my credit card details, I pressed the link to order and I got a small window saying there was an error, so I reentered my data and clicked the order link again and got the same message. I went to my email inbox and TWO receipts for payment had bypassed my inbox and showed up in my junk file. It had actually processed my order twice after showing that both orders had failed, and there was no way to cancel one of the orders. Now, I can only imagine the confusion when two return envelopes show up at the US Embassy. On a separate piece of paper, I attempted to write an explanation to the embassy staff, but God only knows if it will be understood by the worker at the embassy. It seems that every time I try to do business on a Thai website, there is always a problem with the site not working properly.

Typical conversation between the worker and his supervisor......"go install the sign, do as you're told, don't ask any questions, and above all, DO NOT THINK FOR YOURSELF!!!!!!

It's time to walk away from a few people, and if you have to, take your wife and move away from them! It's just not worth all the grief and stress.

I recently discovered that I could use Wise.com to transfer USD's to my Foreign Currency Deposit Savings account at Bangkok Bank. Just choose "same currency" USD's to USD's and choose the SWIFT option for the transfer. I sent a low 5 figure transfer for only a $52 fee, and my credit union in the US would have charged me $80 for the same transfer. Had it done within 5 minutes with no hassle at all. 

It's easy to change religions if all if have is "religion" and not a personal relationship with the Creator of the universe, the one and only true God. When one accepts Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior and experiences a spiritual rebirth from above, that person is "sealed" by the Holy Spirit and guaranteed eternal life in Heaven with The Father, Son, Holy Spirit and all those who are part of the family of God. Once one receives the Holy Spirit, you don't just "change your mind" and become the whore chasing other religions. It is impossible for anything to take you from the Hand of God once you belong to HIm, and you will never have a desire to seek another path. It was said of Abraham..... Yet he did not waver through disbelief in the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God was able to do what He had promised. The true follower of Christ will have the same faith as Abraham, if not greater. Jesus said "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, and no man comes to the Father except by ME! That alone should be enough reason to never seek another God!

On 11/12/2023 at 12:14 PM, sirineou said:

Well they would have to. otherwise how would they know if you are talking to them. 

But the google thing is disturbing. 

I'm not convinced that Alexa is always listening. Until one uses the word "Alexa" its microphone is not activated. 

The government will never get a handle on domestic abuse until they begin to censor the practice of it on television. Turn on any Thai soap opera and you will see the hisos slapping around their hired help and men slapping around their wives and girlfriends. I once heard a Thai soap producer say that they're only portraying what they see in the culture, and that's a big fat lie. What they are actually doing is shaping culture! When mostly uneducated people see things on TV and in the movies, that becomes their standard of behavior because they actually believe it is acceptable since they saw it on the big screen. The same goes for violence in general on the screen. It turns otherwise semi-normal people into violent humans. However, the government loves it because it gives the military and the police a reason to exist in such huge numbers. It's job security for them if the public can stay scared to death of every imagined boogeyman waiting around the corner to rob them, murder them, rape them or just beat them within an inch of their lives. 

I have a deviated septum which was discovered with a Naso endoscopy procedure. I don't notice much blockage on the one side most of the time, but just the slightest allergy or laying down at nights will totally block that one side. I use one spray of Oxymetazoline HCL .05% solution in each nostril before bed, and it will keep my passages open for a full 12 hours. The best and least expensive spray I have found at nearly all pharmacies is Phindroz. I pay 70 Baht for a 10ml spray bottle. Good stuff!

My Thai wife and I have lived in the same village for 13 years. We have always tried to help people and have tried to be good neighbors. We maintain our home and keep a nice yard. We have the tidiest home on our soi, and I am always very friendly to our neighbors; however, most of them will not even make eye contact with me. I walk around the lake in our village on most evenings, and the homeowners around the lake treat me as if I am invisible. They will never even acknowledge me unless I say hello to them first. Others walking around the lake will totally ignore me when we pass each other. Other farangs tell me it's because they are intimidated to try to speak English, but I think that is a poor excuse. I mean, how much trouble is it to just smile and nod their heads? It makes no sense to me. I have traveled all over the world doing business, and I have lived in 4 SE Asian countries for extended periods of time. I have never experienced this kind of phenomenon before. It is not only frustrating and depressing, but it actually irritates the heck out of me. 

7 hours ago, Mike Lister said:

Perhaps a better option is to open the account in both names but instead of being X and Y, make it X or Y and keep the book hidden. That way, when you pass on, she can operate the account without needing it to go through probate or be subject to a will. My wife and I operate several of our accounts this way, fixed deposits and savings interest accounts. When I die, my wife can use the accounts as is without any changes of approvals. The only thing she can't do is close the account, without my permission which if I'm dead, is a moot point. 

Mike Lister, you may want to confirm with a lawyer or the bank's manager that you have Joint Accounts with Right of Survivorship (like we have in the West), which I don't think you have here in Thailand. I have been advised by a high ranking official at Bangkok Bank in the Bangkok corporate office, to have my wife immediately clean the joint account out after I pass on and not to tell the bank that I am deceased; otherwise, the bank will freeze the account and my Will will have to be probated in order for my wife to access the funds in the once Joint Account. Without a probated Will or a court appointed Executor, the money will be divided by Thailand's complicated line of inheritance protocols. Also, if all you have is a Power of Attorney on the account with your spouse as your legal representative, a POA ceases to be valid upon your death. Let us know what you find out!

The only way to stay on top of a budget is to micromanage it by the week and pay only with cash. I take cash from my bank account at the beginning of each month and put my fixed expenses like utilities in marked envelopes. Then, I have 4 or 5 envelopes for weekly expenditures depending on the length of the month. At the beginning of each week, I transfer that money from an envelope into my wallet for groceries, meals out, GRAB or other incidental expenses. I usually have a few thousand left over each week which goes back in the big pot, but if I ever get close to spending all that is in my wallet, then I just stop spending until the next week. It's a method that I came up with back in my high school days, and it has served me well ever since. My house, car, furniture and clothes are all paid for in full, and I have no debt at all. My wife cooks breakfast about three days a week, and most all other breakfast and lunch meals are ordered through GRAB or PANDA. We eat lunch out about 5 days a week and enjoy buffets in some of the better hotels in town. We live a very comfortable life and want for nothing, and I only spend about 20,000 Baht per month. We never feel like we are missing out on anything. I don't drink or smoke or go anywhere alone, and my wife is with me 24/7. It works well for us, and we are both very content with the arrangements. There is a huge difference between being frugal and being a cheap Charlie. The key is "discipline" and having the will power to say no to things you "want" but don't really "need". My wife gets a salary each month to spend as she wishes, but I control the money and set and maintain the budget.  

1 minute ago, JeffersLos said:

My sons are Thai born with a Thai mother.

 

They should be covered by the UHC system. Universal healthcare, also known as the 30 baht scheme. 

 

Is it still in existence or has it been changed?

 

They don't work yet.

 

If they work in Thailand and are in the UHC system, I as a non-Thai father living here can also be covered by the UHC 30 baht scheme through them?

It would seem that you would be entitled to be sponsored by your sons, but I have no facts to back that up. What we Westerners consider to be logical and reasonable aren't necessarily interpreted the same here in Thailand. Might be a good idea to begin investigating your options. 

8 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

Would point out all Thai have free healthcare - no need to piggyback on family member except for more choice of treatment locations.

 

You can also use government facilities on a pay for use basis - which is much cheaper that using private facilities and in some cases free (or almost so).  

Thanks for your comment! I do use the government hospitals, and I am thankful that the prices are so low for us foreigners, but I am thinking ahead to the inevitable "big" event that could even bankrupt me, and I would like something to fall back on if I am legally entitled to it. I'm not asking for a handout, but only to be able to apply for that which is available to me by law or rule. I am 75 years old, and about 8 years ago I applied for private health insurance and was denied by two companies simply for having high blood pressure at the time. I have since lost 15 kilos and my pressure is normal, but now I am in the system as having been denied insurance. It's high unlikely that I would be approved at this time for a new policy. 

1 minute ago, hughrection said:

NO.

 

You must be her 'real' father to qualify. Otherwise it would be a free for all with foreigners marrying Thai ladies with sons and daughters with equal perks.

 

Sorry.

If you are still allowed to work here, take a teaching position for 15 months in a public school. You will enter the system after 3 months and then when you have completed a year, you can quit and keep paying into the SS fund.

I genuinely appreciate your reply, but do you know this for a fact, or is this just a "guess"? Plenty of foreigners marry Thai women who are government employees and piggyback off of their wife's health benefits, and this doesn't seem to be an issue at all. If a daughter can sponsor her mother and father, and the real father is not taking advantage of that benefit, then I don't see that it is too far-fetched to think that the stepfather could step in and take that benefit. If I were a Thai and not a foreigner, would that stepfather qualify to be sponsored?

I am a retired American legally married to a Thai whose daughter is a certified government English teacher. My wife piggybacks off of her daughter's government health insurance benefits and gets free care at a number of hospitals where she is registered. My stepdaughter's real father is a retired teacher and has his own benefits; otherwise, he too would be entitled to piggyback off his daughter's benefits. I am very curious to know if I would be eligible to piggyback off my stepdaughter's health benefits given that I am married to her mother. No one seems to know the answer to that question, and no one can show me a government rule book that even addresses the issue. My stepdaughter inquired on my behalf at the teacher's admin office in Nong Khai and was given a "no" with nothing to back up their response. I have observed over the years that "no" is the default answer in Thailand when someone doesn't really know the answer to the question, so I would like to nail this down once and for all rather than accept the answer from one office clerk who probably doesn't even have a clue. Since most Thais won't question authority, that one "no" completely shut down the search for the truth.

Therefore, is there anyone on the forum who is receiving such benefits or has knowledge of where to go for the exact answer? This is of major importance to me, and all comments will be very much appreciated. 

Welcome to the new normal. It's the way of the world now to espouse one's moral superiority. With the advent of the internet and the flourishing of cell phones, tablets and PC's, we are now exposed to a whole world of knowledge that was never available to us before. Hiding behind their keyboards, more and more people feel that it's their god-given right to have an opinion on all of these newfound subjects, and they don't have to worry about being punched in the face for being so outspoken and forcefully opinionated. It's the sinful nature of man to choose sides, argue and fight their fellow man. Sadly, it's only going to get worse.

None of these are okay, but you have to understand that we live in a culture where people are totally fixated on themselves with no regard for their fellow man. It's all about me, me and me. If they are male, then they have the additional indoctrination of being raised as a spoiled brat, so the whole world is centered around themselves. There are no more moral absolutes, so each person determines for themselves what is right or wrong. We are surrounded on all sides by evil in this country, so naturally, the choices they make are slanted toward the evil that lies within them. There is no accountability, and no one takes responsibility for their wrongdoing. If you do try to correct someone, then they have effectively "lost their face", and it could be the death of you for pointing out their error. What amazes me is how they can expect to "lose" something that they never had to begin with. In a normal society you earn trust and respect, and it takes years to build a good reputation and character. In Thailand, they expect you to give them "face" when they've done nothing to earn it. Good luck with trying to change them. It's only going to get worse!

Jim Tripper, in my younger years in the late '80's when I was running the girly bars in Manila, I always wore my brand name suits with ties, all of which were made in Paris. I was always the best dressed guy on the strip, and I never had trouble picking up the ladies. They always flocked to where I was seated. I moved to Thailand 13 years ago, and I like to think I am the best dressed farang in my city. Why would anyone want to dress "down" to blend in with these low-class farmers. I don't dress to impress others. I dress to please myself. It makes me feel good and gives a boost to my dignity and self-respect, so why not. Dress the way you like, and don't worry about what others think of you. When you get to a point in your life where you aren't concerned with pleasing others, that is true freedom!

I too suffer from high anxiety, and I found relief by taking Propranolol 10mg 3 times daily. It is a beta-blocker that is prescribed for heart disease but has several off label uses including anxiety. Even if you don't take it regularly, try taking one to two pills an hour before going to a stressful event like renewing your extension of stay. It certainly works for me. You can buy it at any pharmacy for 1 Baht per tab. 

https://psychcentral.com/anxiety/is-propranolol-recommended-for-anxiety-symptoms#does-it-work