Midfield

I had the same problem. I couldn't get into my PayPal account due to a SIM card activation failure but I discovered that I could still spend my PayPal balance on eBay. Consequently, Christmas came early for me this year.

Subsequently, I got my old phone number back using a UK company called Swytch.

Best thread in ages. Despite everything, I really like living in Thailand. The negativity so often expressed on this forum is quite unwarranted.

Not everyone here cracks open his first bottle of Archa before breakfast and rolls his eyes to the ceiling when the in-laws come round.

If she has office experience, she could apply for an office job. Regular hours and steady money might suit her. Having her at home outside office hours might suit you too.

If she is dead set on starting a business and wants to make money from the start, a food stall is a solid option. Start-up costs are very low and 1,000 baht a day profits are normal - even in a non-prime location. This generates twice the income of an office job but it involves hard work and long hours. Not everyone is cut out for this - especially pretty girls.

Farang-style businesses requiring significant capital always seem to fail (unless their principle purpose is money laundering). If she is agitating for you to set her up with this kind of operation, it makes good economic sense to offer her a monthly stipend instead.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Nathan's blog makes harrowing reading. As a depressed but highly intelligent man, it seems that all he wanted from the psychiatric profession was a rational debate as to why he should carry on living. Instead, they had him drugged and incarcerated - a traumatic ordeal that left his life in ruins. Then they sent him the bill.

In the comments section, his friends and relatives try to dissuade him from taking his own life. The whole thing is just heartbreaking.