stereolab

16 hours ago, Huayrat said:

Since when was a LT General a higher Rank than a major?

I despair sometimes reading these threads.

What a pleasure to read a thread on a subject like coffee without idiotic comments.

14 hours ago, atyclb said:

 

??????????

Most machines only produce 15 bars of pressure, 19 is therefore better.

17 minutes ago, balo said:

Yes but it's also available as whole beans, just could not find the picture. My local Tesco in N-Pattaya have plenty of them , also the Sumatra beans are good. 

 

Thanks for that, I did not retain any packaging for my Tesco beans, it is a similar pack if I recall correctly. 

2 hours ago, balo said:

I can recommend the Colombian coffee beans sold at Tesco .

It's import from the UK and only 180 baht for one bag. 

 

This is my favorite whole beans. 

 

 

I think that you will find that pack contains "ground coffee". I see about 5 different types locally in Udon Tesco Lotus, however, my temperamental bean to cup machine restricts me to only 2 off the available types. I also have a French press and an Aeropress to hand if I choose the other brands.

33 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

I believe there are Starbucks in Kalisin

Prices of beans in Starbucks are just plain crazy. Tesco Lotus larger branches carry a range of passable beans. Makro carry’s mainly Boncafe beans.

On 11/21/2018 at 11:47 PM, Jingthing said:

Exactly. Which is why there should be a compromise and go for the obvious, basic, simple lifetime income streams -- GOVERNMENT PENSIONS. Get them accepted and documented once so that the applicant and immigration doesn't need to do any new work every year.

Thai Immigration needs to sort out its basic structure for recording information held at local offices for immigrants. Once you have arrived they need to raise a single file which contains all off the necessary paperwork to register the immigrant with a local office. Each year the file is removed and updated. This would avoid all the photo-copying that still goes on. As Jingthing states, government pensions are for life. As are, military pensions.

4 minutes ago, geoffbezoz said:

Is anyone having problems with HDprime tv today ? Trying to watch test match and yet after signing in can so no TV stations !

I just logged in after seeing your comment. No TV stations available, but movies and series are operating normally. Give it an hour or so, and I am sure it will be fixed.

4 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

Have noticed the same in Pattaya this year, defiantly hotter than others years for the time of the year. It was on the news the other day, hottest autumn and winter for years.

Much, much hotter and more humid here just outside Tha Bo near Nong Khai, even the locals are saying it is much hotter than in previous years.

On ‎9‎/‎23‎/‎2018 at 1:47 PM, dabhand said:

There are other verification processes that they could use.

 

I have recently had to undergo a video verification for an Indian Tax 'Digital Signature Certificate' that enables my company's local tax advisors to sign off our yearly tax return. The initial setup was a bit of a pain, as is most things to do with India, with a need to send notorised documents to prove your identity. A local Pattaya notorisation service was acceptable for this. Then had to download a short video of myself and it was all verified within a couple of days.

 

The other method would be by voice recognition. I contacted one of my UK banks recently and was pleasantly surprised that, instead of the usual security questions rigmarole, I was told that I had passed their security based on my voice matching their system record. 

 

Whilst the video verification might not be suitable for some pensioners, a voice verification process should be quite simple to implement. At least it would certainly help to reduce, if not totally eliminate, the mountains of paper that are currently generated. Having a choice would be good. 

 

So, maybe the UK DWP might eventually join the 21st century?!! 

Fully agree on the Voice Verification option. It would certainly be of use to the older pensioner. They should give this as an option when checking on proof of Life, as mail from the UK still continues to go missing. My initial letter confirming I would receive the full UK pension never arrived. I called but they said not to worry as everything had been set up and that my payments were scheduled to commence. They did. 

On ‎11‎/‎13‎/‎2018 at 8:11 AM, wgdanson said:

Why not try to find an office which does not required you to pass any tests....then you'll be as good as any Thai driver. lol

Next time, I think I will be looking farther afield than Nong Khai to avoid the peripheral test. The basic test I will breeze it easily.

In addition to the simple colour eye test,  did you get the peripheral vision test? Recently in Nong Khai I renewed my 5 year car driving licence and this was part of the test. I easily passed the simple colour test, but failed the peripheral test, they gave me a few extra minutes to rest my eyes, re-took the test with the Boss of the office, and just passed. No chance of passing in 5 years time. Will look for an office which , hopefully, does not require this element of the test.

5 hours ago, Nurseynutcase said:

I provide the British embassy with all of my annual P60's and the rental agreement on my house in the UK.  None of these are bogus - my NI(national Insurance) number is printed on each one of the forms.  I will not receive my State Pension until I am 66(2 years time).

 

I came to live in Thailand because it is cheaper than living in the UK.  The forms I provide are my actual income.  Yes I could transfer it all to a Thai bank account but from what I have read it is so difficult to get it back to the country of origin.

 

Also even with my high spending lifestyle I do not spend 65,000 baht a month on living expenses.

 

I will be OK until next November 2019 and then I will have to rethink my position here.

 

Thailand will lose out if I and many others like me decide to decamp and go to another country,

It would be a simple task for the BE to confirm the authenticity of the provided P60.  I am sure they could easily access the main P60 database in the UK.  Once they have completed this check,  they should issue the letter, very straightforward. For a lot of UK expats, their only income would be supported by P60s. 

17 hours ago, marquis22 said:

I agree as I still cannot fathom why they go to make merit and fork out millions of baht with the hope that it will solve all their problems and dreams. I have asked what do the Wats do with all the money donated and was told "to build new/better buildings at the Wat" 

More and more amulets being produced by some Wats, to be sold at crazy prices, to build more temples, and then to produce more amulets for sale to the locals. If the Head Monk says a prayer over the amulets, the price rises substantially. More and more land is purchased adjacent to Wats, for what you ask?

21 hours ago, fulhamster said:

I get HDPrime via 3BB but the buffering starts after 4 seconds on every server.

Unwatchable

Any chance you have a VPN in use?, as that affects my HD Prime, until I remember to exit the VPN.

20 hours ago, HHTel said:

I must be the only one getting a good service from HDPrime.  I pay for the full service including movies and series.

 

Connected via 3BB.  Never buffers.  Always available except when a warning is given (which is rare).  Works perfectly on each server.  I can't fault it.

Last night I watched 2 football matches, no buffering at all, and a Judge Judy edition. The VOD system is also working 100%.

On ‎9‎/‎15‎/‎2018 at 5:19 PM, Classic Ray said:

Never been to immigration with the right number/type of photocopies, requirements vary every year. My wife just renewed my work permit with signed power of attorney from me, but was sent away first time to fill out a local form”we only use in Chiang Mai” not mentioned on any website etc.

 

no hope for Thailand 4.0 when everything is left to local interpretation.

Yesterday, while attempting to renew my 5 year driving licence, the Vehicle office copied every single one of my documents, then told me I had to go get another form from the Immigration office. Immigration told me I must have a letter from the Vehicle office, before they could issue their piece of paper. So, back to the Vehicle office, where I was giving a form to take to  Immigration. Going back today to Immigration, will report back on the saga. This is Nong Khai in 2018.

I fear you are flogging a dead horse on this particular site. Vera Lynn and The Wombles might succeed more.

On 8/30/2018 at 10:14 AM, rkidlad said:

A Thai guy on Facebook said yesterday that the new driving license fines would be unfair as half the drivers in his area don't even have licenses.

 

If you don't educate your people properly, this is what you get. 

Perhaps we need to look at this a different way, when a policeman stops a motorist, at an  authorized checkpoint, with an Inspector on site, if the driver has a driving license, he is to be handed a 500 baht note. 

Mogwai at the Ironworks in Inverness. Simply stunning, breathtaking.

2 hours ago, SheungWan said:

Focus on external assessment. Anything internally assessed appears to be fatally corrupted in the local system.

As said above, worry not, any bits of paper issued by the school, may as well be put in the trash can. Do not bother putting your child in to any school run competition. The examination shown above says it all, no one could achieve 100% in such a flawed set of questions.

5 hours ago, kannot said:

Myabe but If  I want it done properly  I have to do it, ive tried  the other way and you just get a slapdash damn awful mess.

I made the mistake of hiring an out of work chap who lives adjacent to our 3 plots of land, previously I did all grass cutting, tree felling by myself. We agreed a daily rate, I gave him the grass cutter, he was unable to start it, I did that for him. I went off and cut some branches etc, and came back to find him with his feet up in his hammock. it was very hot day, admittedly. I said I would return at 4 o’clock, when I did he was drunk. None of the work he did was up to scratch, and he cared not one bit. So I am back to doing it all by myself, did 3 hours this morning, before the rain set in, and Chappie is still swinging in his hammock, and still unemployed. 

Today completed my 7th extension of stay (retirement) this year using the combined method of funds, (800,000). In and out of the office in 45 minutes, 20 minutes longer than 

necessary, as there was the usual flurry of paperwork’s and other IO’s  getting involved in the most simple of applications. All staff very polite and helpful, however. The office has been re-located on a temporary basis to the next building, door has a sign (Aliens), but written only in Thai. My computer produced TM7, courtesy of the Thai Visa template was not accepted, I had to hand write a new copy, which they then entered into a computer and printed for me to sign.