midzo

10 hours ago, BritManToo said:

And up North here in San Sai, power goes out nearly every time there's a strong wind or a bit of rain.

Can concur, I’m also in San Sai and as soon as the wind starts to blow, I plug in my phone. 

2 hours ago, JimSaints said:

Monty Python comes to mind

You must be thinking of Mr Creosote. 

On 3/26/2019 at 4:31 PM, itzmeacire said:

lol .. okay so it works with those browsers too.. the point here is to let others know that it is working and they can use it for their convenience. 

It seems hit and miss. I had it work once. Other times, no go.

I recently tried IE, Edge and Chrome on three different PCs, 1 Windows 7 and 2 Windows 10. No joy.

I find the mail-in method the easiest and most reliable way to go. 

There are a number of cheap, effective and safe permanent contraception drugs that could be added to dog food. Most work on cats, too. 

Those that feed soi dogs could sterilize them at the same time. Cost per dose for the cheapest drug is reportedly less than 3 US cents, or about 1 baht per dog. No dog need be killed, trapped or surgically neutered. 

Seems much easier and more palatable than culling. 

I was bitten TWICE by a large pet dog on my street while riding my motorcycle. He darts out suddenly from the open gate and sinks his teeth into my leg. Rabies shots once, stitches twice. Talking politely to the owner accomplished nothing. 

I fantasized about shooting the ugly bastard (the dog, not the owner), but settled on a water pistol. I put a good bit of ammonia in the water. 

All it took was one squirt. Very unpleasant for the dog, but it’s harmless. The dog now runs away when he hears my chopper.

A small victory, but a satisfying one.  

Voice talents needed for computer voice recognition data collection project. Hundreds of voices are still needed.

No experience necessary. Only requirement is that you be a native North American English speaker.

Do you want methanol (wood alcohol) or denatured alcohol (ethanol with poison added so as to make it undrinkable)?

If it's the latter, it's available at any pharmacy. Thai rubbing alcohol is ethanol, the same alcohol as in whiskey, not isopropyl alcohol as is found in the US.

Look for a clear bottle containing a blue fluid. 

On 4/14/2018 at 2:49 PM, AGLV0121 said:

 

Am not sure, seems that a passport is mandatory to fly domestic.

Americans MAY use a passport to fly domestically, but it is not required.

Most state driver licenses and all military/federal ID cards can be used as well. 

On 9/15/2018 at 4:47 AM, PremiumLane said:

so source for this then, or the ramblings of a TV poster? 

There was a planeload of convicted and incarcerated Nigerians deported to Nigeria a few years ago. The mass deportation was funded by the Nigerian government who said at the time that more than 90% of Nigerians in Thailand are here for criminal purposes. 

This number was provided by their own government. 

I think this is where the 90% figure originates. 

3 hours ago, KittenKong said:

In what way?

 

I did my retirement extension in Jomtien recently and was in and out in under 10 minutes the first day, and barely one minute the next to collect my passport. I cant really imagine an easier or simpler or faster procedure.

Those of us in Chiang Mai are incredibly jealous. I can't do a 90-day report without spending at least six hours in the Immigration office. (Yes, I have learned my lesson...mail-in only now.) Retirement extension? You have to arrive at 4:00 am to stand in queue for a number to give you the privilege of standing in queue for an official number when the office opens at 8:00. And they only issue 90 official numbers per day. If you didn't make it, hard cheese. Come back tomorrow and try again. And if that makes you miss a deadline, you can suck it. "That will be 2,000 baht, mister." My fault that the CM Immigration office is incredibly understaffed.

Sigh. If my husband didn't have a good job here, we'd be so gone from CM. The driving and the smoke alone....

19 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

Letter from Nik: “I love you father & mother and Toy. If we can get out, please can you take me to eat at a pan fried pork restaurant? I love you.”

 

แม่-พ่อ นิครักพ่อกับแม่เน้อ กับน้องโตย ถ้าออกไปได้ พ่อ-แม่พาไปกินหมูกระทะหน่อย นิครักพ่อ-แม่-แม่ #ThamLuang #ถ้ำหลวง #Thailand

I was confused by "pan-fried pork restaurant." Nik wants to eat "หมูกระทะ," better known to most of us as Moo Kata. 

Probably what I would want after weeks in a cave, too. 

Wishing the best for these guys. May they soon return safely to their families.

On 5/1/2018 at 3:05 PM, Songlaw said:

 A few tweaks to the retirement visa program, and you could find yourself on the receiving end of the persona non grata treatment sooner than you imagine. So enjoy the gloating while it lasts. 

1 hour ago, Gecko123 said:

Yes, I think the writing is on the wall and we can soon expect to see far more stringent requirements for permission to stay based on retirement. 

On 5/22/2018 at 10:49 AM, connda said:

Find a business that offers flight instruction at a general aviation airfield.  Most of these business have aviators with a commercial licenses who can take you up.

Possibly very good advice. Often, flight schools offer the first lesson at a cheap rate in hopes of getting you to sign up for the  course. You’ll get a lot more out of the ride for a lot less money—including flying the aircraft. 

How many in your group? You should be able to negotiate getting two additional passengers in a Cessna 172,  which is most often used for training. 

If your group is larger than three, you're stepping up to a bigger and MUCH more expensive aircraft. 

19 hours ago, Songlaw said:

 I have been as open to new and interesting experiences as is humanly possible throughout my life, but as far as I can determine, this is a physiological barrier that cannot be overridden by a neurotypically-wired, heterosexual male. 

Don’t want to have sex with guys? Great. Don’t. You might choose pistachio ice cream over strawberry. Absolutely up to you. And about as interesting a choice to well-adjusted others.

But your aversion to male-male sexuality is not a hard-wired feature of your brain.

It’s cultural and social conditioning. “Normal” men in cultures outside the Judeo/Christian/Muslim sphere generally  do not share your distaste. They may not be interested in gay sex, but there’s no revulsion or disgust. We might look at pre-Christian Greece, Persia and Japan, for example, or some modern Polynesian cultures to see a completely different set of social norms that do not include anti-homophilic sentiments. 

1 hour ago, simoh1490 said:

One of the best theatre auditoriums in Chiang Mai on the top floor of that building, a superb setting for stage shows/orchestra's etc, I don't understand why it's not used more.

Owner wants 70,000 baht a night for the rental. Only big (read:expensive) shows with good sales and high ticket prices can make any money here. Good sales means a Thai audience, doubtful there are enough farang theatre enthusiasts in Chiang Mai to fill the 1500-seat house.

The smaller Thai shows in the space are mounted by the owner’s niece who operates the performing arts school at KSK and gets free rental. 

A shame. It’s a gorgeous theater and it's rotting away. The beautiful, 128 channel sound board is not covered and the dust is ruining it. A lot of the sliders are already dead. 

I caught a Big Hunk o’ Burning Love rehearsal, too, and I was delighted to see a mostly Thai cast doing a Thai-American play.  The play is touching and funny and should resonate especially well with those familiar with Thais and Thai culture. 

I was quite pleased with the quality of the shows I caught last season. The Exonerated was simply terrific. I note that the Gate is bringing it back in January...I highly recommend this play. The director has turned a readers’ theater piece about the failings of the American judicial system into a fully-staged play. Big challenge to the actors (long monologues in places), but they pulled it off beautifully. Powerful and relevant...don’t miss it.

The Gate Theater group in Chiang Mai has been making steady progress in their goal to become a semi-professional company. Good work, folks! I’m looking forward to the coming season. 

Where’s Ubon Joe?

15 hours ago, ukrules said:

Usufruct on the land registered at the land office could have prevented this.

 

If I ever buy any land this is how I will do it. I'm not married though and I believe this might make a difference.

If he had had an usufruct on his wife’s land, he might have found himself dead instead of deported. 

Can you ask for a different teacher and remain at your school?

Not attending is a bad option, unless you teach yourself Thai. More and more immigration officers are quizzing you in Thai when you enter Thailand or renew your ED visa. They are also documenting your level of proficiency. 

If progress is not being made, you may find your visa is not renewed. 

I’ve heard some bogus ED visa holders are taking Thai cooking classes for this reason. It’s unlikely anyone is going to ask you to whip up Rad Na Moo at the airport.

3 hours ago, trianglechoke said:

...now, as gays also use TVF...... Would some of them step up and condemn this a-hole behaviour!

Gay man here. I find this behavior unacceptable virtually anywhere in public. It’s especially objectionable in front of an important cultural location.

Should they be jailed? No, IMO, but an uncomfortable visit to a police station, a fine and possible deportation would seem appropriate. 

This is loutish behavior, not gay behavior, by the way. 

2 hours ago, exemplary21 said:

My understanding is that if you pay cash for your car then red plates are not required. You just drive with none until the plates come.

 

That's what we did, anyway...

I have bought three new vehicles for cash in Chiang Mai.

All came with red plates. 

Had new plates on two within a few weeks. 

One took nearly a year. DLT gave the plate to a dealer by mistake. Never got it back. DLT ordered new plates. Took five months. 

Then they lost it. Another five months.

I requested and received a letter of explanation from DLT, but never needed it. I’m always waved through police checkpoints. New and expensive vehicles, driven by an old Thai-speaking  farang wearing a seat belt seems to indicate way too much trouble for a shakedown. 

Your experiences may be quite different, of course.

I’ve wondered about the same thing. If not Thailand, where?

I’m legally married to my Thai partner, although our marriage is obviously not recognized here. His passport limits our choices substantially. 

Vietnam is really the only decent option for us.

Bought? Yes.

Received? No.

Seller shipped a package to my address. It was never received. Tracked as far as Thai customs, then it disappeared.

The reverse has also happened. A box of tourist trinkets shipped from Thailand made it as far as US customs, then dropped off the radar. 

That is also murphy's law. When I choose a line in a supermarket, it seems my choossen line has a problem. When a choose a pump at a petrol station the person before me has problems with settling his payment, and when I choose a line at a toll boot the car in front of me drops his wallet, needs to move his car to be able to open the door, can't find his wallet, or all things what has been in it...... Yes, Mr. Murphy is mostly very right!

4 hours ago, sklmeeera said:

This gang are actually the Nomads . 

If I recall correctly, the bikers were wearing Outlaw colors. 

Any MC member may wear Nomad as the rocker patch if they have no home territory.

So we see the odd Outlaw, HA, Bandido, etc. wearing a Nomad rocker.