ChrisKC

Thai Teachers of English and their students are not stupid and are not to blame! Students grow up making all the same mistakes as their Teachers. Why? Because the Teachers were taught wrongly and badly themselves. It's about time Thai Teachers of English were taught by English native Speakers and who understand what English speakers actually say in real life. Most text books (including nearly all dictionaries) of Thai to English are created by Thais and quite frankly, should never see the bookshelves!

And nothing has changed in the fifteen years I have been here! No shout out from me for the Education Service.

Among the plethora of mistakes most Thai people make is pronouncing "rice" as Lice". As an Englishman, I cant' think of anything more revolting than being invited to eat my lovely Thai curry with "lice"

And talking of rice, the Thai expression indicating I will eat: "gin kaow" should not be translated into English as I will "eat rice". It should be interpreted as, I "will eat".

On 8/6/2018 at 8:34 AM, tifino said:

the trouble was probably because the OP mentioned the 'syphilis' word, relating to work related med tests.

 

Your mentioning (Driving Licence) Med Tests 'tangented' things off a little bit...   from a Teaching Forum subject.

 

 

you have to be so careful these days!   (even when typing replies)

Point taken!

52 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Yes

Sent from my SM-A500F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

52 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Yes

Sent from my SM-A500F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

So why link me with syphilis?

Just now, brewsterbudgen said:

The blood test for syphilis is not required for driving licence medicals; just for work permits.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Is this a reply to my message of having a "medical"?

I went for a "medical" today at my local Doctor's clinic. I got a form stating I was medically fit to apply for my Thai driving license. They took my blood pressure and that was my medical! I was charged B50

From what the OP has said and the very reasonable and helpful comments by Bob 12345, the nutrition element of health and fitness will not improve times much.

interval training in either timed intervals or fartlek (going fast(er) and not especially timed) and jogging between the faster runs is definitely a good plan. Try running 3 or 4 intervals of say 30 seconds at faster than your average running speed. Jog down between the faster runs.

I can provide a running schedule of greater detail say for the next six weeks. PM me if you would like me to do that and to explain why I do it that way! It is safe, will create strength for extra speed and build stamina for endurance.

Regards from Chris

6 hours ago, poyai111 said:

Coming to terms with one's mortality is not an easy thing. Resign yourself to the inevitable and to delay it for as long as possible by ignoring it, is the Buddhist way to go. A primary issue is one's state of health, physically and mentally. I am now 74 and am as robust in body and mind as I was 40 years ago. Everything works - without exception. Worthy of mention are: 1) follow a strict physical routine at least 3 times a week for both strength and cardio 2) be moderate in your consumption of food and alcohol. Anything to excess is deleterious to your well being 3) love and be loved 4) exercise your brain - read, communicate and be able to make wise decisions 5) show appreciation and it will be returned tenfold 6) have a clean and painless exit plan

Well said!

This is a personal thing! It depends on your condition now, your philosophy of and attitude to life and how you deal with problems of daily living now. Old age is not as important as how you actually are in body and mind.

Like Poyai here,  (73 years old) I am perfectly healthy and fit - yes 100% - no issues of any kind! May it continue of course but I have to continue eating nutritionally well, do some decent exercise routine that keeps my vital organs in shape. Ask me how to do this!!  I do up to 300 kms a week on my road bike.  I exercise my brain every day with cryptic crosswords, sudoku and other brain training activities. I love learning about new things. I have just got married and my future has much to offer my fertile imagination.

I know of Commercial places in Thailand that offer quality care for the elderly but like everywhere else in the world, there is good and bad, suitable and unsuitable. This is Thailand. You can find someone - not 25 years old but someone mature; someone who will appreciate you helping and supporting her while you can and later she will take care of you. I think there are people on this forum in that situation.

Short of marrying someone, when you needed more support, you could find a retired nurse or someone recommended that would, by simply having a proper home to live in and for B10,000 or more according to circumstances per month, would look after your daily needs.

I think being taken care of in old age or medically challenging times, Thailand is a good place to be. You can keep warm, living expenses will continue to be far cheaper than in most Western Countries, there are many people here who would be ready, willing and able to help you for much less money than would be elsewhere.

3 hours ago, BobbyL said:

We paid 2500THB for the agency to translate it all and take it to the MFA for us recently. Came back in 3 days. 

Thank you for that. Can you confirm that by "it" you mean the Affirmation? And that you didn't need to go to MFA yourself? Any other documents apart from the translated copy needing to go with to MFA?

You mention "Agency". How do you establish if they are accredited with MFA?

Thank you again!

2 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

Yes - always.  Translation service should have offered to do for you for a charge.

OK, I understand, thank you!

1 minute ago, Preacher said:

As Lopburi3 says, it is the Thai Consular Department.  Just follow the signs for the Thai passport office at the Chiang Mai provincial hall.  Issuing passports is the main business of the consular department. 

Thank you for your time and useful information.

2 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

The UK Embassy document must be translated by an official translation service and then registered with the MFA to become a legal document in Thailand.  It is the MFA who oversee Thai Embassies - there are no Thai Embassies in Thailand.

Thank you, I have been using the wrong term. Ministry of Foreign Affairs is where I need to go.

I did get my translation from an "Official" Agency but does it have to be an approved one by the MAF?

1 minute ago, Preacher said:

No appointment needed. But do show up a bit early. They need to check the translation (and signatories from the embassy), that can take about 2 hours.

Thank you very much - most helpful.

Chris

Just now, Preacher said:

You not only need a seal from a translator, the translation must be certified by the Thai ministry of Foreign Affairs and duly stamped by them. The translation agency should have told you that.

Luckily for you there is a consular department in Chiang Mai, at the ground floor of the provincial hall. Only costs about 800 baht.

Thank you. I have heard that if I needed to visit Thai Embassy, there is an Office in Chiang Mai. Do I  have to make an appointment?

I got married on Sunday  - apparently! (I have no special document that says I did)

In visiting the Amphur in Lampang yesterday I was told I needed a document from the Thai Embassy that I think is a copy of the Affirmation in Thai that I already have in English, signed and sealed from the British Embassy. I had my original Affirmation translated into Thai with a proper seal from a recognised Translator. But I did this thinking I would need it ( I didn't) when I visited the British Embassy where I had to change a few things, resulting in the Thai, then and now, not being exactly the same. But it seems that even if I get a new Thai translation it won't be enough.

My wife has spoken to one or two people, one of whom claims he will arrange everything for B15,000 but my instinct tells me I don't need to do this. I would appreciate the advice I need to register and legitimise the marriage by ensuring my next visit to the Amphur will get me the marriage certificate I need.

Thank you so much.

6 hours ago, shady86 said:

Accord driver really luck because no car at the next lane during evasion. Else more lives could be lost. These trucks should be banned from motorways.

Trucks are not the problem. It takes a driver to make a truck dangerous

14 minutes ago, Beats56 said:

But take ear plugs with you unless you like listening to some girl chirping on a microphone non stop.

 

That doesn't happen every day and not everywhere in the Mall.

It is never a good idea to be angry with yourself or anyone else whether in Thailand or anywhere. Here are a few suggestions that I would follow in the heat of the day, if my personality and constitution were similar to yours.

I would wear reflective and light clothing.

If you have aircon, switch it on!

Only a fan? Concentrate it on yourself - no swing.

All the big supermarkets have aircon - do some slow casual shopping

Go to your your local Mall. Plenty to do there. Spend a couple of hours over a coffee. Don't have much money? Eat in the Food Court. While you are there, use your Tablet or Smartphone: go to YouTube or read plenty of free content and learn ways that will help you to manage your anger and stress levels.

Drink plenty of cool water, at least a litre per day

Keep a cool, wet flannel handy at home and give yourself regular rub-downs.

Go to a local hotel that has a swimming pool

Be strong, stay calm!

42 minutes ago, franck1972 said:

Most hotels in Thailand are operating without license.
Agoda or Booking.com is surely no warranty, TAT, maybe, although I know many hotels listed there that don't have any licence.

What's your purpose of knowing if they have one ? 

How do you know hotels have a licence or not?

22 hours ago, tarmovannas said:

 

Yes, actually transactions ARE almost always refunded back to the same source they came from, the only case where it wouldn't be refunded to the same source is if you would work out a different solution with who ever processed your card, which would not happen most of the time, 99.99% of the time the transaction is simply refunded electronically and will be returned automatically to the source it came from (AFAIK this is handled by MasterCard, VISA, etc). That was also my original topic point -- if a refund is made for an order placed with a card it should simply be returned to the same card (and/or bank account associated with it). I should not have to worry about this and I certainly should not have to be wasting my time contacting my bank, in this case SCB, every time something like this happens, it's absurd to me, but after talking to SCB customer service on the phone today, they claimed that it was their company policy (hard to believe) and suggested for me to get a credit card instead (which would guarantee a faster/automatic refunds process compared to their absurd debit card policy). Like I said, I have not experienced any other bank doing things like this. Also, from my understanding, your money is certainly not orbiting in no cyberspace, if a refund was processed by the merchant who originally charged your card, then this money is basically returned to the bank already -- it is just the bank's duty to acknowledge and confirm that and credit it back to your account -- from what I know banks like to take as long as they can with this process, since they like to hold on to any money that is "in their hands" :)

Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I am hopeful that my visit to the Bank tomorrow morning will yield the result I am looking for.

1 hour ago, tarmovannas said:

Hey ChrisKC, by the way you describe this, I would assume that you just used your debit card during checkout on eBay (via PayPal), which means you never actually added your card to your PayPal account in that way, that is why you did not have it on your PayPal either when you checked back on there, it is not going to make any difference for this case anymore to add the card to PayPal now after the transaction is already done (again, just assuming based on your description, this is most likely what happened). I'm sure you were indeed processed a refund by eBay (for the transaction made via PayPal) back to your SCB card, but it won't show up on your PayPal account since you apparently did not use your account with the card previously linked to it to make the original transaction -- PayPal also worka as a simple payment gateway for card transactions without having to make an account or link your card. Now, based on my experience nothing will happen, since it is an SCB card, not in 14 days, not in any amount of days for that matter, you have to contact SCB customer service via email/phone and provide them all the details of what happened and ask for the refund to be processed. Good luck!

Thank you for that helpful reply. I think it is as you have suggested - that my card was not added through PayPal direct as I later discovered. Though my money was taken from my debit card (as shown in account activity online) immediately.

So if you are right, the Bank can process the transaction in one direction only?

At the risk of sounding naive: if a payment has been made to a Seller from my debit card at my SCB bank, why cannot it be refunded to the same place? And if not, it sounds like posting a letter with no address on it and in my case my B4,000 is orbiting in Cyberspace.

In any event, I have enough evidence to take to the SCB on Monday morning so my money can be shuttled back to Earth.

Thank you again, Chris

23 minutes ago, wgdanson said:

But how long did it take them to take the money off your card.........seconds!

Less than that - a micro-second!

Last week, I added my SCB debit card via eBay to pay for an item through PayPal. The payment processed in less than the blink of an eye and was acknowledged by the system including the Seller in India.

A day later the Seller cancelled the order because it was out of stock and I received a notification from eBay that a refund was made. I also received a notice from the Seller that the refund was made.

That was 8 days ago - the "case" is closed because a refund is shown to have occurred but it has not arrived at my bank from where it was taken and neither is it shown in my PayPal  account. I subsequently discovered that the SCB debit card I had entered through the eBay site was not in fact shown in my PayPal account so I re-added it there.

As you know, it is next to impossible to actually send an email or talk to anyone at eBay or Paypal.

Is it really possible that I have to wait 14 days or more or even lose the money??

Any tips I can use would be very helpful, thank you.

3 hours ago, kannot said:

who gives a s h i*................well not the Thais, they sure dont want to follow any rules except their bowing and kowtowing hierarchical nonsense

It's obvious to me that the Thai Government, and in particular those in Transport Safety Departments,  don't  understand the culture of its own people.

I have a new SCB debit card with 6 digit PIN. Just today I added it for use with PayPal (in addition to my Bangkok Bank direct Paypal account and used it to buy an item in eBay with the Supplier in Poland.