4MyEgo

Couldn't be alone, been there, done that and at times I liked it, but after going out with company and then coming home to an empty house made me feel alone. If I was busy with work, I didn't mind, O/T, extra shifts, but home alone, wasn't really for me. I enjoy being around people, don't get me wrong, relationships can be hard, had a few go south, but being married over 16 years now with kids, reminds me well and truly that I am not alone and alive, so much noise, frustration, challengers, and then there is the positive sides of it all, so it is a balancing act, the struggle of life with others, however it does make it easier if you have your own big man cave where you can shelter ????

You can't shift the blame onto the parents. Last I checked, there is no manual on how to raise kids, as a parent, you have choices, let them grow and find out things for themselves to survive, or try and guide them best you can without causing them too much brain damage. In my opinion, there is a fine line in raising kids, and if they turn out as good people, all and good, job done, that's all we can ask for, if they end up on drugs, become gamblers, and abusers of women, then we cannot blame ourselves as having failed, that would be too easy. I believe the gesture the father did with the mother of one of the victims is a cultural thing, besides, he did what he felt was right, who are we to judge him, as he is suffering as well, besides the money will assist the mother going forward as I am sure her daughter would have provided for her. Maybe, just maybe you would prefer he didn't attend to show his remorse for his son's actions, and not offer her some compensation to assist her moving forward albeit it we all know it won't bring her daughter back. I think you need to have a good long and deep look into yourself, too much anger bottled up in you, but then again, you own that, deep breath, more compassion as opposed to anger and judgement.

If that's the case then I have no problem with it, perhaps other countries can follow suite, as last I heard it cost my home country $80 million per year pre Covid to treat tourists who then upped and left with the tax payers footing their bills. I believe a lot of guys on this forum missed the point, it's a slush fund to payout for situations like this, PLUS it provides tourists with emergency medical insurance cover and other benefits for 30 days from the point of entry, suffice to say, ask yourself, how many tourists come here without insurance and then end up on forums with GoFundMe asking for help. Usually I don't agree with a lot of the things the Thai authorities come up with, but on this, reading between the lines, I give them my support, as I don't believe that they should have to put their hands in their pockets to payout families of victims of fatally shot innocent people, or treat people for emergencies in hospitals for free if they don't have insurance, so a slush fund is a win/win for all concerned, especially tourists who in an "emergency" requiring treatment without insurance, that of course happens more so than tourists being killed here, so like I said, it's a win/win for farangs. To sum up, I would have thought the insurance company of the mall under public liability would have had to pay out to the victims families, but I don't know the laws here when it comes to Thai Insurance companies.

I look at every women in this light. Know how to handle the beast or potential within the beast and you will live a happy life, especially if you keep your finances (control) separately.

I buy all of my meds online, delivered the next day. If I need something like Sara or other, there is a pharmacy within Lotus where I live and a couple of Pharmacies, all within a 20 minute country drive, that said, they can't compete on prices when buying meds online.

How could your heart not go out to this bloke, being a father of twins (19) now and two younger children, there isn't a day that doesn't go by that one thinks, what if. At least for my Mrs, she would be looked after financially, me on the other hand, I couldn't cope trying to raise the two younger kids, been there done that before. Cherish the moments, day by day, I really hope this guy gets all the support he deserves as raising kids on your own has got to be the hardest job in the world, that is why I respect single mums, and dad's for that matter, but women seem to be built better in raising kids than men. Kudos to him.

Yes it does eventually where off of you, i.e. unless you get out to say Nai Harn Beach for example and the beaches in that direction. Been to Samui once, as you say and to which I agree 110% I will return, but will always make sure the wife buys the food, as she purchased a bag of Watermelon from the street fruit vendor, me being in the line talking to a foreigner, I overheard the wife say 20 baht, that was for one bag, and the unsuspecting farang paid 5 times that, welcome to the Land of Smiles.

I appreciate your input, and yes you are right, she could take more than 50% of my assets as we have kids, however, being the type of guy that I am, i.e. a thorough researcher, I made sure that I saw a Family Law Specialist before we got married and she had no problem in agreeing to signing a prenuptial agreement with an independent lawyer. You see most guys that I know won't go down that path, why, well could be that they don't have the balls, or don't want an argument, or don't want the threat of their relationship being over, which to me is just crazy, I mean why allow yourself to be left wide open, what you have before you met your partner is yours. I know a bloke, good mate, married, 3 years down the track, 2 young kids, she took him for a cool 3/4's of a million, now that is one expensive piece of a$$. I have told others till I have turned blue, but as the saying goes, "you can lead them to water", but..... For your information, i.e. if you are not familiar with prenuptial agreements in the land of Oz, they form part of the Family Law Act, meaning they are as good as gold, that said, as the prenuptial agreement was done before we had kids, a judge could say, yes well, what about the kids now, ok, then might I suggest 20% to the kids, and that would be ok by me, because the way I have my assets structured, getting 20% out of nothing means she would get ZERO. Always crossing my T's and dotting my i's and of course it could happen to me, but knowing my Mrs, she wouldn't return to Oz, because she wouldn't be able to afford the cost of living there and Child Support requires an income from the spouse, so not to get technical, I don't earn an income, someone else does and they are blood and I trust them hole heartedly and raised that person myself who has done extremely well in life through my guidance and being in the right place at the right time. Worst case scenario if you can call it that, would be the wife would get the big house here as I wouldn't contest it, the car, the bike and all the bits and pieces that go with it and I would support the kids, say 20,000-30,000 a month till they finish their schooling, plus whatever other things I thought necessary to assist them in life, but no real free rides, after all we never spoil them.

If I live in Australia and the ex wife (due to separation) lives in Thailand, then I claim correctly, like I said before, there are rules to adhere to and that I am doing. If you wish to call it fraud, that is your call, they will have to prove that, and believe you me, they will have Buckley's because proving someone isn't separated when living in another country for 2 years away from his family is going to be pretty hard to prove, especially when he says so and she says so, and it comes to the crunch and they want a divorce, then we would gladly accommodate them if they put up the $1,000 (ridiculous) $'s that it costs to do it yourself, i.e. someone's in the business of making money, aren't they, but that's another story ???? Thx, I agree, that said, there are risks in life as you say, however, you plan as best you can and follow there rules, then make a break for it when you have crossed the 2 year finish line.

I know what I would have served up for her, fresh as can be, let your mind go there for a minute.

You should try less to control or give advice to grown ups in my opinion. You don't really need to plan to survive if you have $'s, although it does help to plan a budget. That said, he has more than enough to survive here for the next 50 years. Mine was a plan, took me 8 years because I wanted to remain in Oz till my daughter from a previous marriage completed her HSC and I was turning 55, the perfect age to retire in my opinion 8 years on, the planning has worked very well, no regrets, now I plan to return to Oz in 2 years to work for 2 year at age 65 to survive there, until I reach the pension age being 67, then have it made portable and keep receiving it until in Thailand until I croak, not that I need it, but if I last till I'm 77, then that pension money that I would have put aside will be another nest egg the kids will get, i.e. around 6 million baht which will further set them up here. Planning is up to the individual, there are those that go without a plan, and we all know if you don't have a plan, you don't have a plan, simple really. Don't over procrastinate George, just plan where you are going to live and how much you will need to survive on and enjoy the rest of your years.

I have rented from various companies over the years. One I got from the front desk at the airport, others pick you up and take you to their office which is within a few minutes drive, others offer a shuttle service for a fee. I have found this one to be the best in price and recent model cars. Put in Mascot as the pick up location and then select the date and time you will be picking up and dropping off the car and then click select the car you prefer and click select, the webpage will take you onto the next page which allows you to add on the waiver for up to $5,000 for $7 per day which is cheap as chips, so to speak. It's just a matter of knowing how many days/weeks you need the car and what kilometres you will be doing. I only hired the car for one day when I was there last, I Google mapped where I was going and it worked out to just over 100km's, so I booked the car for up to 100km's free and paid, if memory serves me correctly 0.30c per kilometre thereafter, and I did 10 extra kilometres so I think it was $3.00. Do watch out as Sydney is full of speed and mobile speed cameras, red light cameras, and unmarked highway patrol cars, booze buses and the like, it's actually become a nightmare to drive as you're in fear of being caught out or pulled over. The above said, if you don't really need the headache of driving, the public transport system is magic and you allow someone else to do the driving ???? https://www.bayswatercarrental.com.au/booking/options https://www.bayswatercarrental.com.au/locations/sydney-airport

Oh, come on now, your making my day an overcast one, haven't you gotten accustom to Thai's yet, "up to you" ????

The reason you require a re-entry permit when you leave the country is because you cannot obtain a Thai Passport as a Permanent Resident, as for reporting to the Police Station every 5 years, well, seems like they still don't trust you....LOL Personally, I see no benefit of having Permanent Residency here in Thailand as it could be revoked as quick as any extension/visa, same would apply to Citizenship of a foreigner. But each to their own, if it works for you, kudos.

Portability for former residents - Age, DSP Since 20 September 2000, a former resident who returns to Australia and is granted Age or DSP, or who transfers to Age under SS(Admin)Act section 12, cannot take that pension outside Australia if they leave within 2 years of having resumed residence in Australia. The purpose of this legislation is to discourage people from travelling to Australia just to get an Australian pension to take back overseas. The 2-year period includes, as separate full days, the day on which the recipient returns to Australia to resume Australian residence and the day on which they leave again. There is no discretionary power to allow portability of Age or DSP during the 2-year period (note, some exceptions to the 2-year rule apply - see below). Payment may be suspended for short overseas absences during the 2-year period and does not have to be reclaimed on return to Australia. A short absence from Australia (as long as the person is still classed as an Australian resident) will not impact on the end date of the 2-year period (i.e. the absence still counts towards the person's 2-year period). https://guides.dss.gov.au/social-security-guide/7/1/4 Dictionary Definitions from Oxford Languages · Learn more pro·longed /prəˈlôNGd,prəˈläNGd/ adjective continuing for a long time or longer than usual; lengthy. "the region suffered a prolonged drought" From my understanding, the legislation above, in particular the word: short absence to me would mean approved leave of five or fewer consecutive school days for example. The above said, I think 4 weeks in a year would be ok, perhaps broken up into twice a year if it's affordable. To me, it makes sense to return at age 65, i.e. 2 years prior to the pension age, they cannot argue with you as residency would have well been established during that 2 year period. For those who have family here in Thailand, with kids going to school, you could get them to visit in March/April and they would return in May ready for school again, i.e. if the tickets are affordable to you as they would have accommodation, you could return to Thailand in the October for the shorter school holidays, again, if affordable, but no more than say two weeks. Returning to Oz at 65 would of course mean, you would have to work as the Jobseeker Allowance (fancy term for the dole), wouldn't cover your rent, let alone other living expenses, like food for one, waiting to go back at 67 lessons your chances of working as you would be applying for the pension and you wouldn't be working, and we all know surviving on the pension in Oz wouldn't be pleasant. Working to survive for 2 years and being away from here/family will be an uppercut to most of us, but you have to focus to the finish line to get that lottery that is going to pay you for the rest of your life anywhere in the world till you croak. From my understanding of the legislation, in particular the word; 'Short absence' would mean just that, a 'Short absence', that said, I would never take what someone said on the phone unless I could sight a section of the legislation to back it up. He said, she said, you can go overseas for a "Prolonged absence", yeh nah, doesn't cut the mustard. The legislation is pretty cut and dry in my opinion, but if others want to go by hearsay, well, that will be their downfall, somehow the word Caveat Emptor comes to mind when I hear someone saying but they said.......

4MyEgo plans years in advance, changes his status from married to single on his Facebook account as does his wife, after all, that is the normal thing to do when you "separate", isn't it......lol As for mobile numbers, well you got to keep in tough with your "separated" partner to see how the kids are doing at school, life in general etc, after all, it's pretty hard to say your not "separated" when your living in two different countries, isn't it. Like I have always said, there are rules to abide by, stay within the framework of those rules and Bob's your Uncle as the saying goes. Thx for the good luck wishes, it's in the bag ????

This whole age pension tax thing living overseas is a huge balls up and confusing, but once you have a read of this, your not going to like it. It's a real eye opener. https://www.smsfmate.com.au/how-long-can-australian-pensioners-stay-overseas-without-losing-their-pension/#:~:text=The Age Pension and Taxation,-As an age&text=The pension is considered taxable,deduct tax from your payments. And then there is SAPTO https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals/income-deductions-offsets-and-records/tax-offsets/seniors-and-pensioners-tax-offset/#Incomelimits From my reading, they can take $0.32.5c in every $, no threshold as you are deemed a non resident, then they credit you SAPTO, $2,230, so this means you can lose a big chunk of your pension. You don't have to be a resident to claim SAPTO, but you have to qualify for it to get it, it's not automatic. Then if your like me, and have just enough assets to show you qualify, you get a double wammy, they apply a Deeming Rate of 2.5% on that, but allow you an income of $204 per fortnight. At then end of the day in my case it works at at half the pension, so not worth it, others might want to do there calculations as well to see if it's worth it. Maybe I can get rid of some of these assets in the next 4 years without them knowing ? At then end of the day, we can all play dumb and when the time comes, ah yeh, $50 per fortnight should be doable.

Who is saying we are not going to be separated, we will be, I am following the rules, to obtain the single pension, you have to be single, i.e. separated will suffice Vs getting divorced as it costs $1,000. This is not fraud, this is simply following the rules, if I remained married, i.e. not separated, they would provide me with less, e.g. half of the married pension, and of course I want more, so we have to separate, this is legal. After two years in Australia, I might find myself back in Thailand on the single pension of course, Badda Bing, Badda Bang, Badda BOOOOM, we have to play by the rules, their rules.

Fat chance of that happening as there are currently about 1.5 million people in the age range of 60-64 years of age with 16.9% already over 65 years of age. Say they did lower it to 65, and those aged 60-64 were coming to pension age, that would mean that they would have to fork out $26,000 per single person when they reach 65, now do the math on that, not including married couples. From my calculations if we assume 375,000 of them came onto the pension per year, that comes to 10 billion $'s a year or $40 billion in 4 years. Like I said, fat chance that is going to happen because the Social Security System is already forking out 20% of the Commonwealth Budget, i.e. $135 Billion in 2022-2023 and the government isn't just going to fork out $10 billion more a year just for votes, fat chance, but I'm in if they do, but....... ????

As far as I see it, if you say your separated, then your separated, as long as you follow the rules, i.e. the government provides a set of rules that states what they will accept as living under the same roof. As for holidaying in Thailand together, well, I would think getting on the same plane might be a bit suspect, perhaps sitting at separate seats might please you, that said, there are no set rules as far as I know about where you travel, who with, e.g. separated partner or where you sit, so there is no fraud or level of criminality that I see ????

It is best to read the rental car companies driver licence acceptance policy, that said, sounds like your USA drivers license and IDP should qualify. Also if you have a Thai drivers license some car rental companies and states accept that. I believe some car rental companies include insurance, but the excess/waiver is on you, normally $4,000AUS, you can buy the excess/waiver, but be prepared to pay for it, some don't include insurance so best to read the policy on the website of the rental car company. The above said, if you are thinking about taking out travel insurance, which I highly recommend, there are some policies that include an excess waiver amount up to $4,000AUS which is what I do as it's cheaper online than getting it from the car rental company, plus you get other cover for emergencies.

I recently had the Coolant replaced (5 litres) and want to know if it's ok for the Coolant level to be below the minimum level when the motor is cold. When the car is running, the Coolant level rises to above the maximum line and the temperature gauge doesn't go past midway, and when the car is left overnight, the Coolant level is below the minimum line, literally where the inlet hose connects to the Reservoir. Went back to the dealership and they said, it's ok to be like that, but the owners Manuel says otherwise, i.e. the Coolant level should be between the minimum and maximum level, so I am just wondering what others think as I can't say I trust the mechanics that I have dealt with here before, long of the short, they have said the problem with other things at times was this, and that, but it wasn't. Last but not least, the Coolant has changed colour from light pink to a purple colour and yes I know it runs through the motor and that maybe the cause, so just asking, if this normal as I am old school, pre-alloy heads. The mechanic drained and changed the Coolant because there was a warning light stating Coolant overheating and the temperature gauge was at 3/4's, hence the reason the Coolant was drained and new Coolant added, and the temperature gauge is back to where it usually is, i.e. 1/2 way, however when I put my hand on the side guard, either side, the guard's are really hot and I am thinking maybe time to change the thermostat as the car is a 2016 pickup and has 200 + clicks on it. As usual, appreciate any feedback. EDIT: I did add a litre of the same Coolant and another litre of distilled water at another time, but back to the same level when the engine is cold. There are no leaks that I can see.

As a foreign resident, I don't have to lodge a tax return in my old country, so good luck getting anything out of me ???? If ever queried, well, it's savings, see, look at my banks account, not bank accounts ????

If you purchased a property in Australia 10 years ago, yes it would have probably doubled, however, would you be having the LIFE you have in Thailand, or would you be working to survive, i.e. having using all of your savings to purchase that property. On the other hand, is you purchase a property in Oz as an investment, $0.32c in the $ would be taxed, and you wouldn't be able to claim anything against the property, i.e. rates, insurances, repairs, agents commission, etc, etc, and then you would be up for capital gains tax from the very 1st day you purchased it, e.g. 2010, not when you left the country as it used to be, legislative changes in 2020, so you would be giving a HUGE slice of that capital gains on your investment to the government, on top of the 1/3rd in taxes that you collect in rent. The above said, I did the exercise recently having sold up 8 years ago and seeing the my old property resold, and I am well ahead for that 8 year period vs holding onto the property, as my investments are tax free and capital gains tax free. Nothing wrong with that, you lived in it mortgage free, rent free and can re-coupe your money if you ever decided to sell. Don't forget, you have LIVED a different LIFE here vs back in Oz. In my opinion, you can have your cake and eat it too with the right tax free investments vs owning property back in Oz and paying taxes and sacrificing this lifestyle if living in Oz, it just depends on what you want in life, for me, no amount of money can replace my freedom to choose what I want to do, when I want to do it and how I want to do it, never a slaveagain. It it not an over-capitalisation, it is debt free, no mortgage, no rent to pay, it's yours (or your wife's) and you can re-coupe the money paid for it when and if you sell up. It's the sacrifice you make for the lifestyle change. To me, building this big house for 2 mil was worth every penny spent, i other words, it has cost me about $200 per week to live here, 6 beds, 3 baths, well insulated and cool. If I was living in the place I sold back in Oz, it would cost me a minimum $700 per week to rent it, that said, I did own it outright, however my money was tied up in it, so my lifestyle would be to work to survive vs using that money to invest and receive a tax free income here, with no capital gains tax payable and I LIVE the life I want, like I said, no more a slave. I knew when I built this place that I would more or less be worth what I paid for it, that said, that said, at the time, back in Oz you could probably build a one bedroom granny flat or a double brick double width garage for the same outlay, so to me, it was the freedom factor, the living off of my life savings as opposed to being asset rich, cash poor. Haven't regretted it one bit, that said, you have to have money to live anywhere and keep earning as living on the pension would be restrictive, regardless, so using your sale of your assets via tax free investments gives you a good quality lifestyle here.