xylophone

Agree in the main, however I thought I would have a look inside of these extension leads/multi-power boards just to see what the quality was like, and it was, in a word, disgusting/terrible. In the apartment in which I live, I only have a double socket outlet on the wall where my electrical equipment is (computer, monitor, TV, Soundbar, CD player etc) so unfortunately I have to use a multi-power board or two, however I buy the most expensive ones and ones which I give the once over before I buy. I do have an electrical engineering qualification from way back, so I do back myself on these things, however some of the "installations" I see here absolutely terrify me.

Me too, and the state of some of the multi-outlet extension leads is downright deplorable and just waiting for some poor soul to depart this mortal coil by touching or using one. My ex GF had a couple of these leads that weren't working, so gave them to me to have a look at, and I decided to take them to pieces to have a look inside, and what I found was frightening: – the size of the internal wiring was about 0.5 ml and the soldering on it/them was minimal; the live and neutrals "changed places" as they went from pin to pin (these were made in China) and the metal connectors were thin steel, coated with brass, but still showing signs of rust. Furthermore, the way that they are used in many Thai households is just asking for trouble.

PS. Replace "British accent" with English accent!!!!!

Well here's my review, and in my opinion, it just goes to show that you can't always go by how IMDb rates a movie! I found it to be a load of old nonsense, hard to decipher in the early part of the movie (or subsequent parts come to that), and with quite a bit of whispering and soft-spoken interchanges going on, I couldn't always follow what was being said. Not surprising as in the movie itself there were different accents, a Scots accent or three and perhaps a Welsh one somewhere in amongst it, and I'm sure I heard a British accent! And the lady riding a white horse in a couple of shots, had a great set of modern dental braces on her top set of teeth – – who'd have thought that the Vikings has such good dentists! Then there were elements in the film which invoked memories of North American Indian tribal dances, as well as some wailing and there was a Jew's harp providing some background noise. I long for the days of a good movie, but it seems they are few and far between now and the likelihood of seeing another "Bridge of Spies", "The Shawshank Redemption", "Castaway", "Tombstone", "The 12 Monkeys" and so on are long gone.

Here is something which may be of interest to those folks with prostate problems, and I've lost the link, so here it is in full (I hope the mods allow this because it is extremely good news for those of us with prostate problems). Why 2022 is shaping up to be a breakthrough year for prostate cancer treatment.... A recent Phase III clinical trial conducted by an international consortium of scientists from nine countries demonstrated some of the progress that has been made. It found that a potent new hormone therapy called darolutamide, produced by the pharmaceutical company Bayer, could significantly prolong survival in men with advanced forms of prostate cancer as well as reducing pain, when used in combination with standard therapies. These findings are just the latest breakthrough in the past few months for patients in the latter stages of the disease. In December, a major clinical trial called Stampede found that using two existing prostate cancer drugs in combination – abiraterone and ADT – could increase the six-year survival rate from 69 per cent to 82 per cent. Kemp is also bullish about a new medicine called olaparib, the first drug that is specifically targeted at a subgroup of advanced prostate cancer patients. Aimed at those who have a mutation in the genes BRCA1 and BRCA2, olaparib works by interfering with an enzyme that helps cancer cells repair themselves, inhibiting the ability of tumours to grow and spread. Clinical trials have shown that it can double the average survival time for patients with BRCA mutations. Interest is also growing in another new class of treatments called targeted radionuclide therapies. These drugs attach to tumours before releasing very small amounts of radiation which dissipate within a few hours, meaning that there are far fewer side effects than traditional radiotherapy. "That's the one where when we look at the results, we think, 'Wow'," says Kemp. "You could be sitting here a few weeks away from death, and that will extend your life quite significantly. The pharma company Novartis is currently running a Phase III clinical trial which we're awaiting." There have also been advances for patients who have been recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. A minimally invasive technique called NanoKnife, which uses bursts of quick electrical pulses guided by MRI scans to kill tumours, has been approved for use in the UK's National Health Service. Experts hope that it can help avoid many of the problems associated with conventional surgery.

Good to hear from you again TP, and also good to hear that your situation has improved from that of a couple of years ago, when I remember you being in a great deal of pain. Although I can now get by with just one catheter insertion per day (and the occasional urine dribble) I know it's not good for me because at times I drain 800 mL, and that obviously means that the bladder has stretched, which is not a good look. So I should do it more often, but......... Something which may be of help to you is the use of Xylocaine gel which has a 2% inclusion of a numbing agent, and when squirted down the end of the old fella and left for a few minutes, it numbs the urethra, making catheter insertion a lot easier. I learned a little more about this when I was talking to another poster here @simple1 because I was finding it difficult to obtain Xylocaine, and seemed to be using far too much than I thought was good for me, and of course it can become expensive. He put me onto a sterile gel and gave me the link, for which I was most grateful, however the link opens but I can't get hold of anyone at that company, either through email or telephone, so I wonder if they've gone out of business?? However all was not lost because @simple1 mentioned that he only smeared a little bit of the gel on the catheter and all was well, so I thought I would cut back on the amount of Xylocaine gel I was using, which I have done, and it seems to work well. In addition to that I have found a substitute gel on Lazada, called Lidocaine, and it is not as expensive as Xylocaine, and if I order it it will be here in a couple of days, so problem solved (I think). So I'm battling on, fairly pain-free, but not worry free unfortunately, however I have to take my hat off to other posters here, including you, who have posted about their experiences and also given encouragement along the way. Let's hope that you don't have to put up with numerous other procedures in times to come, so good luck to you.

I watched, "The Lost City" as I felt in the mood for a bit of light-hearted adventure, but I was very disappointed as I was expecting a cross between, "Romancing the Stone" and a few versions of "Indiana Jones", but all I got was a very poor rendition of nothing much at all! Thin/poor story with some less than average acting, and about as exciting as a bowl of porridge. You have been warned!

Yes it certainly was like that six months ago or more, but now there is a bit of a revival going on, even outside of Bangla. The "roller-blind" shops in various places have started to open again, and the beach road has livened up quite considerably, and at night the place is busy with restaurants and shops open again, so there is hope yet. However it is a bit of a mixed bag and where one shop opens, the same shop might well close down just a couple of months later, as has happened to a very large bar which recently opened in Nanai Road, and has now closed! The restaurant which opened up in Soi Banzaan just pre-Covid start time, Le Drinkeria, is at this very moment being taken apart, and I've no idea what else is going there, but it was a strange place to put it, however feedback suggested that the food was very good as it was both a bar/pub and restaurant. Just today I was sitting in the newly opened Starbucks which almost faces Bangla, and noticed how many tourists there were milling around, many of them from "Arabic countries" by the looks of things, so that avenue for tourists seems to be opening up again. As I said, very much a mixed bag as a lady friend who manages a massage shop (two in fact) was bemoaning the fact that in the last two days they had only one customer per day, and suggested that they should probably close their shops just off Nanai, and look at moving down to the beach road – – but of course the rents would be much higher, so it's a bit of a "Catch-22" situation. It's now coming up to low season so it'll be interesting to see how the tourist situation unfolds over the coming months.

Absolutely agree Eezergood, and I have been fortunate? To be able to taste some of the wines he has rated highly and some of them were absolutely "huge" wines which would take years to open up, if indeed they ever did, and really didn't deserve such a high score when tasted IMO. He has a penchant for currying favour with people of influence and wealth, and it's surprising that more people haven't seen through this windbag.

I remember those killings very well and I managed to see a pic of Hannah's body, and what the perpetrator(s) had done to her head was almost unimaginable. Also the way she was laid out on the beach was disgusting. Her boyfriend had seven puncture wounds in his head, none of which were ever explained. It still resonates with me now because of how two innocent young people were brutally murdered, and how the hopelessly inept and corrupt BIB needed to find scapegoats for the murders in order to cover for an influential and wealthy family who pretty well ran the island – – corruption at its most abominable, and that's why I wouldn't watch this series/doco, because it reminds me of the corruption in which I am currently living.

Excellent, thank you very much for that information, and one more question please!! Currently I use Xylocaine gel which contains a numbing agent, and the tube (a bit like a tube of toothpaste) has a pointed nozzle on the end of it which enables me to insert that into the end of the old fella and squirt some gel down it before inserting the catheter. I've never tried it without this and I know that the urologist used it when he did a cystoscopy, but I'm wondering if it's really necessary now with a much smaller catheter? So the question is: – how do you use this Optilube? Do you just smear it on the catheter before insertion or does it have a facility to squirt into the penis? It would be a lot more convenient to use this Optilube (not to mention cheaper) and anyway I'm not sure that having this Xylocaine gel pushed down into the urethra and bladder two times a day is particularly good thing, as it is not easily dispersible. I await your feedback with great anticipation, and my sincere thanks again to you.

It's been a long time since I posted on here, so here goes with a couple of snippets of information: – There is a new WINE PRO opening in the south of Phuket, and it is on the 4024 Road, and if heading south it would be on the right-hand side, just past where the old Honda showroom was, which was alongside the road which leads off into Songkhla University and then into Kathu. Their initial opening day is this Sunday and I will be popping along because it's possible they may have some promotional wines?? It may be of interest to a few on here @schlog, @Lik @eezergood @JetsetBkk@KarenBravo and others. Also I've tried a few of the "19 Crimes" varietals, and found them to be very reasonable wines, especially if I can buy them a hell of a lot cheaper at Promphan, which has become my regular wine shop. Now here is something which made me chuckle, because although I like my wine and have been buying, drinking and studying it for 50 years, as well as visiting vineyards and Châteaux, my description of wines is fairly basic and I don't find the rare and wonderful nuances in wines which the top wine critics seem to find, and this one in particular made me smile, and it's from Robert Parker. Very deep garnet-purple in color, the wine soars out of the glass with bright, bold boysenberries, warm cassis and ripe, juicy black plums notes, plus emerging nuances of lilacs, oolong tea, cinnamon stick, tilled soil and black truffles. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is packed with tightly wound layers of crunchy black fruits, supported by firm, grainy tannins and fantastic freshness, finishing with lifted fruitiness and on a lingering mineral note. Hmmmm, not sure about the tilled soil though (amongst others!!).

I have a question for you, if you wouldn't mind answering it, however if you would like to keep it as a personal response, then please by all means send me a PM. The question is this: – I was instructed by the hospital to use a numbing gel called Xylocaine Jelly 2% when inserting the catheter, and initially I was able to find a few tubes of it around the place, but it has become very scarce of late, so I was wondering if you use this or something similar, and if so where are you able to purchase it? Thanks in advance.

On the subject of watching movies again, last night I watched the original "Blade Runner" with Harrison Ford and Rutger Hauer, only this one was the extended cut, whatever that meant, however I enjoyed it and what was most poignant to me was the ending, just the last few minutes of it, and I wondered how that applied to people like me who were getting towards the end of their time on this planet??

Thanks for your kind words FL, and I'm sure that you would find the strength to carry on as I have, and believe it or not, now that I have managed to get the catheter use down to once or twice a day, and I know this may sound strange, it has become a daily routine which doesn't faze me much at all – – more a nuisance than anything else. I have reduced my "going out on the town" nightlife with friends, to once a week, so I can prepare for that evening and take care with what I drink, so beer is out of the question, and I have all of the "apparatus" ready for the catheterization when I get home. It's amazing what humans can endure if they really put their mind to it (and there are many worse off) and that's why I'm pretty sure your situation should improve, even if gradually, so best of luck with it and stay positive.

With a legal agreement in place, signed by the house/landowner/borrower, with an LVR (loan to valuation ratio) of lower than 20%, then plenty of equity in the borrower's property to repay any loans, and then some, so I sleep easy!

So pleased to hear that "matters have improved very gradually" for you, and who knows, that they may continue to do so, slowly but surely. From not being able to empty my bladder at all, to using a catheter three times a day, then gradually lowering that until I only had to use it twice a day, and now I can get by with once-a-day – – in the main. Occasionally I can manage to squeeze out some urine, which alleviates me having to use the catheter all of the time, so I'm hoping that any slight improvement continues, so keep your fingers crossed FL, and good luck to you.

Lucky you Kwasaki.........I am not married so after the age of 75 they won't insure me!!

When I retired I had some great bonds in NZ which were paying around 7.5% per annum, but as the markets changed, there was very little to be had in the way of bonds with a reasonable return, so I looked elsewhere. I chose just two stocks on the NZ share market, both types of utilities, both paying around 5.5% in dividends, but both with good growth potential IMO. So far they have done well, with one of them more than doubling its share price, and the other one increasing it by about 15%, but with good growth prospects. That still left me with some cash so I sought out a couple of companies in NZ (there are some in Australia too) who engage in "peer-to-peer lending", whereby somebody who wants to develop/build another house on their property needs to borrow in order to do so, but the banks are reluctant to lend for this, especially if the owners are retired, even though the value of the existing property and land could be in the millions of dollars!! Step in the "peer-to-peer" lenders where they will gather a group of investors together in order to lend the money to the developers/builders who will pay around 6.5 % per annum (paid monthly) so that they can finish the job and sell the property for a good price (the property prices in NZ have gone through the roof). The whole deal is covered by a trust deed, overseen by lawyers, whereby if the borrower should renege on a payment, the lawyers can repossess the original property and land, and the investors will be paid out. So 50% of my savings are in the two stocks I mentioned, with 35% being in the "peer-to-peer lending" property investment, with the other 15% being in short-term term deposits for ready cash if I need it. And of course a small pension tops things up.

I was looking around to renew the insurance on my Suzuki Swift as I was not particularly happy with the cost of the insurance renewal with Viriyah, as it is a 10 year old Suzuki Swift (low mileage and in immaculate condition I may add) and they quoted the replacement car cost of 170,000 baht and an insurance cost of around 11,500 baht for me as an only driver – – this with a 40% no claims bonus. I queried the replacement cost of 170,000 baht and asked them where on earth I could find a car of similar ilk for that sort of price, should it be written off, and they really couldn't come up with an answer (obviously). I then went on to the Roojai online system and keyed in my details and was delighted to get a quote of just over 6000 baht, and the car replacement cost at 240,000 baht! I was delighted with this and was about to go ahead with it, however when I was talking to the representative he mentioned that they would not insure me after the age of 75, and that is the age I will be at the end of this year!! This was news to me and I didn't really want to change insurance companies if it was only going to be for one year. So I thought about it long and hard and I really couldn't be bothered with the hassle (I had to get a picture of the car and send it to them, but I don't have a smart phone so getting a picture is not easy) then they wanted a premium for me being able to take the car to a Suzuki dealer for repairs, should it be necessary, After running around and worrying about it, I went to the local office and paid for the next year with Viriyah!!! I've come to the conclusion at my age that I really don't want any hassle and I need everything to be plain and straightforward, even if it costs more, and I'm not unduly worried about cost as I am well covered in this regard for a few years to come. It seems as though there are a lot of pitfalls and hurdles to overcome with car insurance here, so that's why I went ahead with the old company, and peace of mind is more important to me at my time of life.

Well done to @Denimfor spotting this as it wasn't uncommon a while back and I snaffled dozens of bottles at knockdown prices from Tesco Lotus.....good wine too. I did have some luck at Big C in Phuket with some Italian and Spanish wines, but they were short-lived bargains. I shall have to go "hunting" again!!!

I am now clear of the dreaded Covid, at least according to the last three tests I've taken, so after contracting "cabin fever" for being locked up for so long, I decided to take up an offer by a couple of friends to visit Bangla on Saturday night. I took a motorbike taxi and went along Beach Road, and what was surprising was the number of restaurants and shops which were open, compared to what I remember being the situation just a few months ago, where the place looked like it was almost semi-derelict, so someone has done some good work on getting the place up and running again, and they were rewarded by a fair number of customers frequenting their establishments. Good news. We started at the Blue Beach Café and Restaurant with a light meal and a few glasses of château collapso (well at least I did) and with the light background music and just a smattering of customers, it was good to be able to sit and talk and not have the eardrums ringing. We had heard that the 11 PM closing time was going to be strictly enforced, so we were out on Bangla at about 8:45 PM, where we bumped into another couple of friends of ours and decided to have a drink with them in the Black Horse bar, which was always a favourite of ours, but now the current manager seems to be intent on damaging ones hearing with the level of noise, so two of my friends left after one drink, and three of us left a short while later – – I just will never understand why bar owners/managers decide that they should wind the noise and base up on music in a bar which is no more than 4 m x 3 m?? After that it was off to Red Hot to listen to a bit of music and for me to see if my voice had made it through Covid, which thankfully it had, and we caught up with a Finnish guy and his Thai wife there and it was good to see them as we had seen them a few times previously. The place wasn't absolutely packed, but it was about 60% full and the band was, as always, excellent. Bangla Road itself was fairly busy, obviously nothing like the halcyon days, but busy enough to let one know that there was still "life in the old dog yet" (and by "dog" I was meaning Bangla Road not me!). It made a change from what has become somewhat routine for me, and knowing that I can sit and have something decent to eat, with a glass or two of red wine and have a chat to friends at Blue Beach Café and Restaurant, is comforting indeed. If I then should decide to wander up Bangla for a look, then so be it, but it becomes the less important aspect of the evening, whereas once upon a time it was almost my "raison d'être".

This reminds me of the case a few months back where an older Farang, living up north in the back of beyond, was attacked by a Thai with a gun, late at night, and ended up killing the guy. The Farang's Thai wife was out at the time, and there seems to be a bit of mystery about a "missing" 300,000 baht?? The police were looking into it and I've heard nothing about it since......anyone know the outcome??

I thought the House of Maxwell was great and it resonated with me because I was a young man when the dastardly deed was done.................also Official Secrets is a movie but could have easily been a doco, and very enjoyable.

Fabulous.....many thanks for the link; will be on to that shortly!