DirtyDan

Mrs. and I also love Ethiopian food and I will at least give you the point that it's the best Ethiopian in town... I'd be willing to try it again though in the new location.

They do make their own injera, but I don't think they use proper teft flour so it ends up being more of a pancake.

Shoulder / Back strain could be self induced from the force of frequent vomiting or even from the 2 days of lounging around if you're usually active. If in doubt, see a doctor.

If you're going on 72 hours and still having bowl troubles, time to see a professional.

Try Chic Republic- they have a very good selection of electrical goods - most imported and not the cheapest.

What is it with flax seeds? Do they taste good or meant to be super healthy?

Definitely not an English thing- never heard of them until I moved to Thailand- but some TV members seem obsessed with flax!

They can be used as an egg replacement in cooking / baking. Grind them, mix them with water and after some soaking time you end with a liquid the consistency of egg-whites.

They can also me mixed into a smoothie as they're both a good source of ALA (a component of Omega-3) and will help keep you bowels moving regularly.

Quite - but if someone was selling me a hyundai and telling me it was a Mazza, to follow your logic, I would have a legitimate complaint.

This I agree with whole-heartedly as there's a lot on unethical merchants and scam artists in the business. The good part is, you can usually spot them before they strike, if you know what to look for (Google it) - the big point being that there is no way you will get a Maserati for the price of a Hyundai!

Case and point: just two weeks ago our good friend had family members taken for a $1400 (they were young an thought they were being all grown-up by buying "tailor-made" clothing for work and didn't have the forethought to ask any of us that actually live here). This scam involved jumping in the tuktuk and being taking to a physical place for the "fitting" whose personnel then supplied them with incorrect contact information (neither the address nor phone number actually existed) so they couldn't pick up their clothing - if there was any to ever pick up in the first place. The only redemption for the victims of this not-so-bright scam, was they didn't receive any clothing at all, paid with credit card, and could initiate the charge-back. And while the kids (young adults) were upset, they were reminded that it's a good thing they didn't pay in cash as it would be long gone, or received a few ill-fitted chunks of polyester returned to them as that would have made it a legitimate transaction! The CC company is not responsible for your poor choices, but can protect you from an outright scam!

Yesterday, when I was walking home along Sukhumvit, one of the material touts was out in front of his shop, waving at me, 'I will make you nicest suit in Bangkok'. I says, 'Yea, then why are you standing here in jeans and t-shirt? Why aren't you wearing you're own clothes if they're the nicest in Bangkok?'. I love those deer-in-the-headlight-looks people give me sometimes.

For 3000 Bt that grinder better be growing, roasting, and hauling the beans right into the kitchen as well!

Let's all take the OP's frame of reference in mind when offering advice. Nobody is saying, or asking for, a super-150 bespoke Canali. A simple, decent fitting, made-to-measure jacket CAN be found in Thailand, but like everything else, buyer beware.

OP "Hi, I'm looking for a Hyundai".

SD "Don't do it. I own two Maserati's and believe me, once you've owned one you can tell the difference."

I'll make a promise to you SD: If I ever meet anyone that needs clothing advice for lounging on the back of their yacht, while berthed in Monaco, (you know, something for eating Grey Poupon smothered truffles perhaps?) an un-lined, half-canvassed blazer, but with wool made only from strands of fiber taken from prehistoric sheep hair found in Peruvian amber nuggets, with the jacket fully bespoken and hand stitched by blind virgins residing in a 400 year old chateaux blessed by no fewer than 9 popes, and hidden somewhere in a valley in the Italian alps that can only be accessed by hot-air balloon 2 months of the year, I'll be sure to heed your advice. Until then, us petit-bourgeois, well we'll have to scrape by on the khlongs of Bangkok, wearing our rags and begging forgiveness for causing these blights upon your fashion senses.

One more piece of advice to OP - Don't pay up front. Let them know you live here (business card) and having to pay shouldn't be a big deal (I imagine there's been more than one tourist that had clothes made, sobered up, and forgot where the clothing was located thereby stiffing the merchant on the costs). I just had a fitting Saturday where they wanted cash upfront - My exact words were that if you're proud of your workmanship, you should have no worries about me happily paying for the finished product.

We bought ours a year ago at the Emporium department store off Phrom Pong BTS. It's the blade type grinder, not the burr. I know we use it for grinding small quantities of all sorts of things (nuts/seeds).

As long as you're giving yourself enough time in BKK for a minimum of 2, maybe 3 fittings (one week minimum!) then the majority of fabric merchants around Nana should be able to have their sweatshops make you something.

For 5000 bt you're going to end up with some rougher material (low thread count) but it will wear well and last you a long time, especially if the cut and stitching are decent. My brother uses Rajawongse for his everyday suits and reports they have OK quality in that price range - just ensure you're getting actual wool and not a synthetic blend as the manufacturing process (fusing) of BKK tailors will make the jacket hot-wearing to begin with and you don't need polyester added on top of the sweat box. I've also got workmates that will use Pinky's and Raja's.

I would recommend taking an exact picture of what you want and here's two points to insist on that will make your jacket look better on you:

1) if you're getting a pattern (either pinstripe or windows), make sure the patterns match on the shoulders/sleeves, when the pattern is off, the discrepancy confuses the eye and even a decent fitting jacket will look "off"

2) insist they use very little padding in the shoulders. Your average North American grown man does not need the "extra support" that these local tailors all seem to think jackets require. (Mrs. Dirty calls it the man's equivalent of a push-up bra and locals seem to think "there's no such thing as too much padding".)

Please report back on your experience as some of us are always looking for new places to shop (with a picture of the jacket if possible). Good luck.

Go to a Chinese wholesale pharmacy. Prices are about 1/2 to 2/3 of other pharmacies

Wonder why some days your sugars are in range and other days they're not? Be real cautious with this approach. The brother-in-law works for a major pharmaceutical company and they recently audited their manufacturing in China finding both the impurities and active ingredients in any given tablet could be an order-of-magnitude out of spec: that 10mg pill you're taking could have 1mg or 100mg!

OP, if you can only get a 30 days supply, maybe try getting 3 different suppliers?

I've been told radiator coolant can be used to poison dogs and cats. I haven't tried it but my concern is if people leave it on the ground other species may partake of a drop or 2 and get ill. Cats are less of a problem as you can place the coolant up high away from dogs and other animals.

It's all very tame around here. The dog next door is starting to find other ways home, and avoid me, after I've shot him with marbles....from my trusty sling shot. Another mongrel appears from time to time but it bolts when it see's me!

Chickens wander everywhere. And not a chicken coup in sight!

Radiator fluid is sweet and animals enjoy the taste of it (as well as young children that might mistake it for green juice). I learned at a young age that farm animals and buckets of radiator anti-freeze don't mix and this is the reason you never leave a open bucket of it in the garage! It's a horrible-painful way to die that causes the animal much suffering and I'd seriously question the mental well-being of the person that's actively seeking to torture an animal in said manner. Note, I'm not a vegan, I enjoy hunting, and I have attended many a good branding. If you think you have to poison an animal then darn well do it with the proper poison: 40 grains of lead. Dispatching animals with anti-freeze is not only cruel, it's twisted. ( /DirtyDan steps off his soapbox.)

I know the culprit has disappeared, but like a few other posters, I'd recommend King Solomon's wisdom here: capture the dog that killed your fowl and let it be publically known that you have it. If the owner comes forward to claim the beast you can seek reparations (or apologies). But, if no-one comes forward after a few days, then the dog is obviously a mongrel no one owns and can be put down humanely without insult to anyone.

I would never front a loan for a gf back home and the laws there protect you from her family throwing you out on the street at knifepoint. Anytime you mix family and money, any where in the world, it's a sticky situation - especially when it's your money and her family!

That said, all the doom & gloom horror stories here, surely there's one or two blokes that married into decent situations?

So my insurance company's rep came out to look at the damage together with the woman who rear-ended me. Not much damage really so I was surprised/suspicious that she didn't want to settle in cash and preserve her insurance premium. My insurance rep filled out the form and gave it to me to sign, all in Thai, saying I could take the form to the garage for repairs and the garage would bill my insurance co. Right at the end of the form, near where I sign, there were a few boxes and I noticed that he'd ticked the one saying it was my fault - basically I'd be admitting liability. Nice try mate ! I reckon the woman had slipped him a few baht to tick that box hoping the farang wouldn't spot it and then my insurance co wouldn't be claiming off hers and my premium would be up and not hers !

Will be interesting to see what happens next - she'll have told her insurance co it wasn't her fault and I've told mine it wasn't mine.

Thankfully I have a rear-dash cam that shows me stationary and her changing lane and bumping me, should evidence ever be needed...

And coincidently my insurance expires on 10 July and I'm already renewed with another company .

Seems these insurance guy reps who come out to the accidents are on the take as well. No surprise there I guess...

Dash cams are cheap insurance when compared to the headache of dealing with a genuine insurance claim - and vitally necessary in third world countries like California where people will intentionally cause accidents to go after your insurance!

First thing is determine how they're calculating 20 units of water - why 20 and not 15 or 45 - they have to be getting that number from a meter or gauge somewhere? Check it!

1) turn of all your taps in the house and see if it the gauge's/meter's numbers are still moving? Leak.

2) turn off all your taps and if the gauge is not moving, then it's time to start watching your monthly meter reading a little more closely.

20m3 is the size of the smaller tanker trucks you'd see hauling petrol down the highway (125Bbls) ... NO WAY you're using that much water unless there is a massive leak somewhere in the building between the meter and your faucets - but you'd have a squishy garden and the foundation would be washing away.

I think productivity would be a better measure of success... Sure, there's 12 people employed in the AIS shop, but it takes 11.5 of them to figure out how pay my bill every month (or any random three to "help" me use the kiosk).

ok, what were the tips so far then, spend less money earn more money save money on heating by opening windows and turning off air conditioning save money on electricity by not using any electricity this is a simple tip, find people in the soi near you wihtout work, order them to use pedal operated power generator , you can use financial incentives to help a little, but food may be good or put up a sign saying free gym and have multiple people pedalling , even put in a storage system

Have you ever read the book "Windup Girl"? No electricity and people are paid for the use of their "calories". The rich pay the poor to run up the stairs of skyscrapers so that the poor people can ride down as simple counterweights for the elevator the rich are riding up. Want to get paid? Run up the stairs again.

Seriously though, now you have me thinking about having someone pedal an alternator hooked up to a bank of car batteries....

I would second Mikeller just off Ekkamai- and they deliver!

Hello TVF,

I need a hired gun to help me with some data analysis.

Me: A man that needs a multi-variable liner regression showing correlations amongst samples from my 10,000 data points.

You: A Statistician, fluent in STATA or similar software, can communicate in the languages of either math or English

The work: At your own pace. Cash paid upon delivery of analysis (amount relative to time and effort required - this is open for discussion, I'm fair.)

PM me if qualified & interested.

Thank you,

DirtyDan

These pumps are not designed to "pump" air and needs to be full of water before they can move additional fluid (called prime) - the fact the pump works after you fill the chamber is proof it's a priming issue. Moving the pump far away from the borehole could possibly affect the pumps suction capability, but a couple of feet is not enough and that's why there should be a valve at the bottom of you well (the foot) which keeps the suction lines all full of liquid.

So, how is it your pump is losing the fluid when it stops pumping? Likely culprits:

1) the foot valve (in the well itself) is not working which allows the water to flow back down the well when the pump is turned off.

2) the new connections in the suction line were not put together properly allowing air to be sucked into the chamber when the pump is operating or allow water to leak out of the suction line when the pump is off.

3) your well goes dry while pumping and the pump is sucking air in from the bottom of the well (water is not flowing into your well as fast as you're pumping it out).

1) Youtube the whole thing showing documents and where the fence has encroached.

2) Send youtube link to all Thai news channels you can.

3) Hire lawyer from outside the area to represent you.

4) Release some birds at the temple.

Well... Mrs. Dirty sent me a picture of the champagne she had before take-off in BKK.

I had no idea they did not offer alcohol to everyone during meal service at least - consider me updated.

There were lots of horror stories when Aeroflot when it was solely "state owned", but recent years they've really upped their game to compete in foreign markets. I'll admit they were reported (from the Mrs.) nowhere near the best, but when you can grab a cheap business class seat for little more than the cost of economy on other airlines, it was worth it.

Gourmet Market in the new EM Quarter (but it'll cost you a kidney).

Are you making Caesars?

Mrs. Dirty took them to Moscow (SVO) just a short time ago. Plane between SVO-BKK was older and worn down. The plane from St. Petersburg to Moscow was new and quite nice. Food service was reportedly not very good (and they didn't even attempt to meet her pre-ordered vegetarian meal). The stewardess displayed the same warmth the rest of the Russian culture communicates with - quite a shock when coming from the Land of Smiles going into the Land of Scowls.

Alcohol ban on a Russian airline? LOL - you just made my day.

All in all - Aeroflot isn't a first choice, but it was worth the price for a direct flight versus the upcharge and layover for the next best priced Emirates.

Don't gamble

Darn it... was just about to set up a round of high-stakes monopoly.

1) Meeples and More on Soi Ruamrudee, Ploenchit (directly behind the Conrad)

2) KOPI-O Board Game Café on Sukhumvit Soi 39 (I'd say 1 Km walk from Phrom Pong BTS)

With the (seemingly) lacking consumer protection laws here, I would avoid direct account debits. Thanks for the heads up. But before this turns into bashing thread - I should note that the exact same thing happened with my gym in the US as I was moving here. Took a registered letter to my bank before they stopped the "pre-authorized" monthly withdrawals.