sylvafern

I wear make up every day to work and if I'm going somewhere, e.g. shopping (not around home though) - foundation, powder, mascara, usually eyeshadow and lip gloss. However, it has been SOOO hot here in bangkok this past week or so I'm wondering why I bother as my face is covered by a sheen of sweat by the time I've walked the 300 metres or so from my house to my air-conditioned work! I mostly wear make-up because I feel my skin is very uneven in tones and scars easily so have a few acne scars (I know they are insignificant compared to what others may have, but I am still self-concious). My sister had some sort of beauty thing done on her face which really evened and smoothed the skin tone (and reduced her freckles) and meant she was confident enough to go without foundation. I forget what it was called, but it was good.

By the way, I see you've made 1115 posts since August 14, 2006 (approximately 8 months). I'm probably not alone in thinking that perhaps you need to get a life. Let me point out the obvious fact that reading and writing are different. Just because somebody (with a life) only posts occasionally, it doesn't mean they've only read 9 posts.

I suspect your other 1114 posts were also petty, insulting, poorly written, and lacking any real content.

Completely wrong so you obviously haven't 'read' that many posts!

By the way, just because people like to spend time on this forum, it doesn't mean they don't have a life ..... this is part of their life, so don't insult it. For me, I spend a long day at work and only ever socialise with work friends and colleagues, so most nights I visit Thaivisa and see what's been going on - often I don't even post, just read what others have to say. For me it is something I do to relax a bit and in a small way 'socialise' with people outside my work place - so don't insult everyone on this forum by insinuating we don't 'have a life' just because we enjoying visiting ThaiVisa.

And also, in BambinAs defence - I doubt she was actually serious when she said she needs a man only to do the dirty work .... how many other single women in the world have also wished for the same request .... I bet that most have!

PS - bambinA - the house I rent is owned by a guy who has several houses and he has a guy whose job it is to come and fix things when there's a problem .... he's saved in my phone as "helper guy" and I can call him anytime I need something fixing .... it's great!

At any international school with a secondary/high school section (most of them). But you would need to be a native English speaker or exceptionally fluent .... which you may not be going by the grammatical errors in your post (not a criticism ... just an observation!).

That sounds like a good idea ... definitely agree with the food thing.

What about coming to Thailand on holiday or staying in Thailand for longer when you come to collect her and enrolling in a Thai language course ... or paying for a private Thai tutor to tutor you as a family. A basic understanding of some Thai will help the transition ... even simple phrases like "Chorp mai?"(do you like it?) will help your communication. From my understanding, by law you will be required to stay in Thailand for about a month, I think, for paperwork to be finalised and everything made legal.

Do you know what the name of the home is? Are you allowed to come and visit her before the adoption actually happens? Is there anyway you can make contact with her to start building a relationship before the actual adoption takes place? There are a number of well-known children's homes/orphanages in Nonthaburi (although a seperate province, most of it is still part of wider Bangkok city) where many western volunteers help out. Maybe there are some foreign volunteers that would be able to help write letters to you and read ones you have sent. That way you could get to know her, including some of her likes and dislikes, before she comes which again, could help make the transition smoother.

Your little one isn't the only one who loves the ABC on the DVD intro. I always get told off whenever I go to fast forward that part. How about them Hooley Dooleys in the ABC intro? Another case of grown men gone wild.

Same in my house ... and the elmo tap dancing bit .... he gets up and dances along for the 2 seconds it lasts.

Hooley Dooleys is good but only the older ones when there were 3 grown men rather than 2! My son liked Hi-5 the best ond only watched that for ages but has now broadened his interests ... everything else already mentioned I think ... was Thomas the tank engine mentioned? They're easy to get here at Central. At the Mall (and I guess Central) they also have new DVDs with a mix on things on them ... e.g. Barney, Bob the Builder, Thomas, Pingu and Kipper. "Love to Sing" DVDs from New Zealand are good but doubt they're available anywhere else (maybe online).

I think too much TV is harmful, especially if it is replacing the interaction with humans, but if they are getting that, then it's not so bad. Besides, I am usually sitting with him when he watches a DVD and we talk about what is happening. I actually find it amazing what he does learn and remember of some of these shows. Yesterday he was singing nursery rhymes which I definitely did not teach him and I asked him where he learnt them and he said "Play School" (another Aussie show).

PS - Some people mentioned downloading for free .... can someone please tell me how to do that .... not sure if you're allowed to post info like that, so if you can't please PM me. Can it be played on normal DVD players/TVs? I have been given a few downloaded things but can only be played on computers. .... thanx!

International adoption does occur with Thai children being adopted into foreign families ... assumably they have gone through a long process to get to this stage.

I would say, use the same terms of endearment you use for your other children .... you want them to all feel equally as special, right - not one more than the other. At 9 years old she is going to face major language and cultural barriers if you are taking her back to the US (assuming that's where you are from by your nickname). I think you need to worry more about breaking down those barriers than worrying about terms of endearment in Thai. Anyhow, I'm not even sure if they even have any although I have heard 'noo/mouse' being used for a boy.

maybe Thaivisa could branch out and start a local auction-type website (like trademe.com that we have in New Zealand... a smaller, localised version of ebay). I have given away so much in the past which, if I was in NZ, could have sold on trademe and made some of the money back. Great way to get lots of cheap stuff too. Would love to see something like this in Thailand ... especially if in English!

There's an organisation in Bangkok called Can-U-Kick-It but I don't know the contact details. If you can find a contact number, they might be able to give you info for Pattaya.

Getting one made would be the best bet. Depending on the tailors it doesn't have to be expensive ... most tailors in the sois/moo-baans in residential areas are pretty cheap and make Thai designs well. They may not have the fabric though, but just get your own (recommended if going to a fancy tailor in BKK as way cheaper). Not sure of the best place to go, but Pahurat, near Chinatown and opposite Central (and round the corner from Old Siam plaza) has quite a few shops with traditional and modern Thai silk and fabric with ready made outfits, made-to-order, or just buy the fabric and get it maid at your own tailor. The year before last I got a full-on fancy outfit made for Loy Krathing which included elaborate embroidery and pleated skirt which cost 1500 for making it (incl embroidery) at the tailor in my moo-baan something that is less fancy should cost less.

Thanks for that - good info to start with. She was having a hard time coming up with anything. Apparently their are no quarantine issues for the UAE. She actually has two cats but only plans to take one so in a couple of months I will probably on here again trying to help her find a home for the other if she hasn't already managed to find one.

Sorry if there is already a topic on this - did a search and didn't come up with anything.

I have a friend who wants to take her cat with her when she relocates to Dubai in a few months. Does anyone know how to go about doing this? She has tried contacting airlines but hasn't had any luck finding information. The cat will not be travelling with her as she will be going home to Australia first so she will need to get all paper work done before going (not for a while yet) and then a friend will drop the cat off at the airport on the day it flies. Can pets travel unaccompanied? Any idea on what airline will be most helpful and what other paper work she will need to sort out?

Thanks.

Well done - it just shows that kids will adapt to anything with less fuss than you think.

I actually rather enjoy the attention my son is getting. At least people do still look out for kids.

Last week we were at Siam Paragon, and i let him run around the elevated outside area while having a cigarette. Straight away some poeple held on to the squirt until we signed them that he is not lost and with us.

A not so nice experience recently was on a train where i walked him around the aisle. He stopped at the seat of two western female backpackers, expecting the usual smiles and attention. The only thing he got was a disgusted look and i got a not very friendly request to remove him as he was disturbing their conversation.

Hi ColPyat,

That is exactly the reason that I am moving to Thialand in a few months, I have two baby sons, the eldest is two, he has a loud excitable personality which I encourage. I'm sick of the lack of response he gets here in the UK when he waves or smiles at people. We were singing the other day in a cafe and an older women told me to tell my son to be quiet as she wanted some peace! It is just NOT child friendly in the UK and that is such a shame. I hope that I enjoy my babies getting lots of attention too!

xxx

My son is also very loud and excitable which is great, but at two he is old enough to start learning when it is appropriate to behave this way and when it is not. If we are in a cafe/restaurant and he starts shouting out at the top of his head (which happens) then he is told to be quieter and I explain to him that their are other people in there trying to eat their meal. If you are planning on coming to Thailand just because you want your child to be able to get away with behaviour that is not appropriate in the UK, then you should think again - you still will get some people looking at you because they want the same peace and quiet that the lady in the UK cafe wanted - you just probably won't get the person coming up to you and telling him to be quiet as it is unlikely they would be brave enough to do so (on the other hand, it is true that there would be some people in the restaurant that would think this behavior - inappropriate by western standards - to be cute and amusing, especially if the child is white skinned.)

I personally don't think that people with children should expect everyone to adore their child. Why should two complete strangers on a train have to put up with a child invading their conversation and space? Sure, it would be nice if they were friendly and chatted to the child, but there should not be an expectation that all people adore children and will start chatting and playing with random kids. Clasbyclan, why do you think it is appropriate that you can go into a cafe and sing loudly and disturb other people? If 2 adults were in their singing loudly would you think it acceptable? If not, then why is it acceptable just because one of those people is a child? I am not saying, don't sing and entertain your child in public, but there it is possible to sing at a volume which is appropriate - if you were disturbing someone's peace then it was obviously pretty loud. What's wrong with teaching your child limits - yes it is ok to sing, but not at the top of your lungs?

If you are planning to move to Thailand so your child can get more attention in the public, then make sure you read some of the stories in this thread so you know the dangers of not monitoring this closely. If you are happy with your child being snatched away from you without you knowing, with their hair being cut off with out asking, etc, then you have no worries. Something else to think about, at some point your child will need to enter education. If your child has already learnt how to behave appropriately from you, then they will have a far easier time settling into school. If they go into school (or nursery) knowing no boundaries of acceptable behaviour around other people, then they will have a hard time.

I actually rather enjoy the attention my son is getting. At least people do still look out for kids.

Last week we were at Siam Paragon, and i let him run around the elevated outside area while having a cigarette. Straight away some poeple held on to the squirt until we signed them that he is not lost and with us.

A not so nice experience recently was on a train where i walked him around the aisle. He stopped at the seat of two western female backpackers, expecting the usual smiles and attention. The only thing he got was a disgusted look and i got a not very friendly request to remove him as he was disturbing their conversation.

Hi ColPyat,

That is exactly the reason that I am moving to Thialand in a few months, I have two baby sons, the eldest is two, he has a loud excitable personality which I encourage. I'm sick of the lack of response he gets here in the UK when he waves or smiles at people. We were singing the other day in a cafe and an older women told me to tell my son to be quiet as she wanted some peace! It is just NOT child friendly in the UK and that is such a shame. I hope that I enjoy my babies getting lots of attention too!

xxx

My son is also very loud and excitable which is great, but at two he is old enough to start learning when it is appropriate to behave this way and when it is not. If we are in a cafe/restaurant and he starts shouting out at the top of his head (which happens) then he is told to be quieter and I explain to him that their are other people in there trying to eat their meal. If you are planning on coming to Thailand just because you want your child to be able to get away with behaviour that is not appropriate in the UK, then you should think again - you still will get some people looking at you because they want the same peace and quiet that the lady in the UK cafe wanted - you just probably won't get the person coming up to you and telling him to be quiet as it is unlikely they would be brave enough to do so (on the other hand, it is true that there would be some people in the restaurant that would think this behavior - inappropriate by western standards - to be cute and amusing, especially if the child is white skinned.)

I personally don't think that people with children should expect everyone to adore their child. Why should two complete strangers on a train have to put up with a child invading their conversation and space? Sure, it would be nice if they were friendly and chatted to the child, but there should not be an expectation that all people adore children and will start chatting and playing with random kids. Clasbyclan, why do you think it is appropriate that you can go into a cafe and sing loudly and disturb other people? If 2 adults were in their singing loudly would you think it acceptable? If not, then why is it acceptable just because one of those people is a child? I am not saying, don't sing and entertain your child in public, but there it is possible to sing at a volume which is appropriate - if you were disturbing someone's peace then it was obviously pretty loud. What's wrong with teaching your child limits - yes it is ok to sing, but not at the top of your lungs?

If you are planning to move to Thailand so your child can get more attention in the public, then make sure you read some of the stories in this thread so you know the dangers of not monitoring this closely. If you are happy with your child being snatched away from you without you knowing, with their hair being cut off with out asking, etc, then you have no worries. Something else to think about, at some point your child will need to enter education. If your child has already learnt how to behave appropriately from you, then they will have a far easier time settling into school. If they go into school (or nursery) knowing no boundaries of acceptable behaviour around other people, then they will have a hard time.

To take a taxi to the airport book a taxi by calling 02 9114444 and ask for a big car (the green and yellow 4WD looking cars, izusus I think). Costs an extra 20 baht on top of the meter. Very reliable company - can call the night before for early bookings, or call when you need it - usually 20 minutes wait.

Combine an underwire sports bra with a really tight fitting lycra sports top with extra 'hidden' support. That's what I wore to a combat class the other day and it was ok. My friend wore two bras while she was doing it! Have never found good sports bras or sports tops in my size in Thailand though - actually make that, have never found any at all let alone good ones!

If she's worked as a nanny before and enjoys this type of work AND can speak English, then she would most likely be able to earn more money doing a job like this than by doing high school education and then trying to find a job. If she wants further education she should do it for herself and her own betterment rather than to find a job. Most decent jobs require a degree so she would need to study for a long time to be able to get something really good.

To find a job as a nanny she could try the Bambi website (if it's up and running again) and checking the classifieds, look in the family forum of Thaivisa (I think there are posts at the moment from people looking for a nanny), put up an ad or read the ads at Villa (not sure if the sukhumvit one currently allows this but nichada should) and try and make her name known in an international community (e.g. an international school). Good maids and nannies are always wanted. If she's not keen on working for a family, she could also apply for a job or send her CV to some preschools or international schools (send on spec, don't wait to see the job adverstised). My school employs nannies in the Early Years - they assist in the classrooms but with less responsibility than the teacher assistants. It is possible for nannies to move up to being a TA if they show they have the skills and ability to work as an assistant but for this she probably would need to improve her education. PM me if you would like more info.

With a Masters in Education with a specialty in TESOL you would be able to look for a job in an international school as an ESL teacher or support teacher. The only thing that might hold you back is that most (good) schools require at least 2-3 years experience in your home country so you might want to think about doing a year of full time teaching before you come back to Thailand so that you can apply for schools with better salaries and packages.

Real international school quality, indeed:

".. i teach at a prestigous english school, a thai girl i have been courting keeps saying that she thinks i am same same bad farang" and, "I am an english teacher at a prestigous international school in thailand. i must say that i have only met a handful of leuk krungs who are very intelligent in my classes, or in the club/disco scene where I am well known.

A couple of other things, many of the leuk krung girls are relentless flirts. several of them have wiggled into my bed, and then after realizing i would not date them, they and there dumb parents tried to get me arrested and fired. but i wouldnt let'em." What English teacher writes like that, mis-spelling prestigious?

Not to mention the terrible punctuation.

Anyhow, salaries aren't everything. International schools all have different benefits on top of salaries - housing allowance, free or discounted schooling for dependents, daycare, medical, flights, etc etc. When accepting a job everything needs to be considered in relation to the applicant's personal situation. If anyone wanted to know salary and benefits information of a particular school, the interview would be the best place to find out.

Almost any search brings up a wikipedia link and it's great for getting general info. I also like how it has fact boxes with the main details (good for SEN/ESL kids who have trouble reading lots of information) and links to outside websites and further reference points.

I recently had to do a paper (post-grad level) on a topic that might have been fine if doing it in NZ where I'm from, but when adapting it to my situation was completely unable to source any useful information from educational journals and academic resources, etc. The only place I could find info was wikipedia. I requested a change of topic from my tutor and explained the reasons but wasn't allowed it so ended up basing the whole report on what I found out from wikipedia. Handed it in expecting the worst and ended up receiving a distinction for it which shocked me!

thanks for the hints - the link from tywais gave step by step instructions to enhance the sky - a bit fiddly but it worked well. i will have a look at adobe lightroom, too.

I thought these questions might be more appropriate in the photography forum rather than the computer forum.....

First question - how can you crop in photoshop so that you are just cutting out the bits you don't want and not cropping it to a certain size? For example, I either take photos on 5 or 10 megapixels (which equals 2896x1936 or 3872x2592). When I crop it I want to keep it in proportion so crop, for example, to 6x4 but no matter what size the original photo was or the size of the cropped bit it always ends up being 1800x1200. If I am only cropping a little bit off of a 10mp photo, this drastically reduces the size compared to the original. The resolution is set to the default which is 300, would this be the problem and what should it be?

Next question - is there a trick to enhancing blue sky without altering the colour of the whole photo?

And finally, I did a photoshop course ages ago but have forgotten most of it. I rmember that there was a way to bring up a view which showed the photo in varying shades of the same (and different colours). How can I do this? I have some sunrise photos of a fishing boat out at sea that I'd like to enhance the colour and make it either more pinky or more orangey.

Thanks for any help.

Does anyone have any ideas on which is the best pre-paid phone card? My AIS contract is costing a small fortune each month, mostly because of numerous international text messages. I've also had problems receiving and sending messages (messages says it has sent but recipient never gets it) both to Thai and international numbers.

Anyone know which card works out the cheapest (but is reliable), especially for international texts as well as local calls?

thanks

If you've read the other thread on car seats and safety belts, you'll know I'm big on car safety, but if you are taxi-ing while here the taxis do not have seatbelts in the back for car seats so it's a bit pointless having a car seat. If you're hiring a car while here, I imagine the well known companies have car seats for hire (or free?). That way you'd only need to bring the pushchair. If coming for a short time, recommend the stroller as it will be easier. If for a longer time or plan on doing a lot of walking (whether that's shopping, parks, whatever) big one will be more comfortable for the baby. My 3 wheeeled one won't fit in a taxi boot, but folded it will fit in the front seat with the back wheels pointing to the roof.

It's rare that I buy clothes here as it's not that often that I find something that fits. When I first came to Thailand and lived in Isaan I lost loads of weight and did change my style so I wouldn't stand out too much or offend. When I first came to Bangkok I was skinny (for me) so could fit into clothes and definitely started wearing Thai (Bangkok) fashions - lots of glitter and glitz - and bought loads of bags, accessories (cheap jewellery, hairtyes, etc), and shoes. Now, I still like 'dressing up' but most of my clothes are from home or bought in other countries with western sizes. For work I dress much more 'professionally' than I would for the same job back home - but it's a requirement of my school. Round home, shorts and t-shirts/tank-tops, and going out (rare) jeans and a nicer top (still like the glitter!) and occasionally a dress if it's something fancier.