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ding

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Everything posted by ding

  1. I understand that. Are you including the "Higher Power" people in that? For me, only me, I'm never threatened by what someone believes or doesn't believe. It's the same issue as pushing a specific religion into AA though when it goes that far. So it doesn't bother me at all... it's outside my hula hoop. Personal recover depends on AA unity - and nothing will ruin unity faster than fighting between religions, or the non-religious. Spiritual in the rooms and the word God is used for that concept by me and countless others. Faith and Religion is for outside the rooms, for those who want it. Lets maintain that and hold onto the unity we inherited.
  2. UPDATE: just a heads-up for those interested. AIA Insurance declined to pay for an expensive procedure despite their documents specifically covering this (English and Thai). 400,000B plus whatever they try to add on later ofc. Glad I went Medicare Plan B for $174.70/mo as a placeholder and for an emergency. I haven't dropped by AIA to read their policy to them yet because the medications seem to be working well. And the proposed treatment carries significant risk so I need to research it first.
  3. We're heading down today. Last year was uplifting to the point of exhilarating. +another day!
  4. My experience with Vyke; the places I do business with won't send an OTP/2FA to a voip number. I was only able to call one bank on their 1-800 toll free line with it.
  5. Grats! I tried to follow the advice given but can't. I tried to register on the website AND on my iPhone, even allowing face ID after downloading the phone app. Face ID required confirmation on my number on initial use though but it's a Thai iPhone and not accepted. And of course They need the QR sent to the phone you'll use, my Thai iPhone. On their website there's no 'register' html or tab. Their chatbot didn't understand 'create account' or 'register'. Also, trying to buy the plan I didn't see an option to add roaming before checkout, so I bailed. LOL now Mint Mobile has blocked me, too many attempts I guess?
  6. In the US - I saw many religious people try to stick the camel's nose under the tent and make AA a religious organization, instead of a spiritual fellowship. That was in the 90's and again in the early 2000's. I see it happening again in the past couple of years. I suspect it's due to the social and political passions of the times in America. It wasn't long before I figured we'd be smelling camel butt if we didn't remind those folks that this is a spiritual fellowship. 1) It would cause severe disunity. There would be conflict between religions, obviously. Even if everyone agreed to allow Christian doctrine only, we just have to look at Northern Ireland to see what might happen. 2) Religion has never kept drunks sober. Despite all the kind hearted effort and selfless sacrifice on the part of the good people of religion... it just didn't work. To quote a paragraph from the Big Book pg 88, "It works- it really does". And if it works, don't fix it. It's a miracle a couple of white Christian drunks, only sober a few years, allowed for this openness of belief. But that's just my opinion.
  7. Yep! That's the calculus that caused me to post the question. I have a house and adult daughter in the US so could feasibly go back. I've had direct experience with a serious medical issue popping up and the option/peace of mind is worth the $2,096.40/yr for Plan B. I save more than that living cheaper here, even with my AIA inpatient insurance policy. I'm a saver by nature and your dollar-cost averaging is doable, I just went the safe route given my situation and took Plan B too. This way, if fortunes change or the unforeseen happens, it's more affordable to have the option up and running -and usable with any doctor in America that takes Medicare.
  8. Thanks for the thoughtful comment Prubangboy. We had genetic testing in the US by Color Genomics, $398 for both of us 2 years ago . From what I've researched genomic testing may catch 12-17% of cancer risks. There could be better data but still, 12% is well worth it. My wife had zero genomic risk and extremely low lifetime environmental risk but has breast cancer. I still own a house in the US and my daughter is doing well with a mother-in-law space if necessary. So I could reasonably return. The medical system in the US is broken, I agree and have many experiences to confirm that. Returning with a terminal condition: Japan Airlines cancelled our ticket when I asked for a wheelchair for my wife and gave 'cancer' as the reason. But then a buddy accompanied a friend with cancer back in lieu of a nurse on a different airline. So, I'd pay for the urgent treatment and travel back for ongoing care, like dialysis for example.
  9. Thanks as always Sheryl. I took the same route for the same reasons - things change drastically. $2,096.40/yr for Plan B is affordable even with my AIA inpatient insurance here because the cost of living is lower here. With my US situation the return on investment, usability, probability -it makes the possible waste of money a good risk management expense. That's what insurance is in the end. The bolded section of your quote has me wondering if there's a way to use Medicare here, or did you travel back on a visit?
  10. I'm turning 65 next year and have lived here with my Thai wife for 1.5 years. We don't have plans to return to the US but things can change, especially with age. I'm thinking of getting Medicare Premium-free Plan A, keeping my AIA big ticket expense medical insurance, and pay out of pocket for routine care. Can people chime in with their experience please? What are US expats doing for medical over 65?
  11. We used Color Genomics in the US, now called Color Health. Mailing the saliva sample internationally would probably require contacting them. It was $398 for 2 people in late 2021. Color Health
  12. Worth emphasizing that AA is not a religious program. As for the "higher power" concept and agnostics, atheists, or anyone like I was; I like the idea of going to the mirror and making it anything you don't see looking back. Make that decision and proceed to Step 4. Easy does it but do it.
  13. We went there, to Key Visa outside Big C South Pattaya. There was one Thai female there who was the single-most rude Thai person I've dealt with in over 30 years. She never once allowed me to finish a single sentence. She told me I could not get an extension of stay on my Non-O marriage visa in Chonburi. She said we'd have to go back to Surat Thani. She then offered to change it to a retirement visa. Knowing that to be false, I just said, "Thank you" at that point and urged my wife to please stop asking the woman further questions. We ended up doing it ourselves despite it being very stressful for my wife. The immigration official at window 6 said only one word in English, "Wait". The remainder of the time she only would speak Thai and bullied my wife until my wife was shaking. With cancer, my wife doesn't need that. We'll know more soon when they call and tell us to use their app. It would have been worth it to pay an agent who is reasonable, honest, experienced, and professional.
  14. We'll stop by, thank you. Perfect Thaivisa reply from the good old days! Red sign IIRC.
  15. My wife has cancer so we're going to spend the money on an agent to deal with it - if that's alright with you.
  16. The agency close to us deals with Russian clients. I'm not Russian, But thanks.
  17. Thanks, yes well be driving a car.
  18. Thank you for your useful reply.
  19. The International Criminal Court should hear about this one. Outrageous!
  20. Things change, so does anyone have current visa agent info or recommendations for 2023?
  21. The staff told my Thai wife it's 30B each hour, no daily rate. There's no free parking anymore we were told by other parking staff.
  22. Ya got me booting my 2022 HP laptop. WoW needs AMD GCN 4th gen, it has AMD Athlon Gold 3150U 2.4GHz. Not good. I do have 8GB RAM and WoW needs 128GB disc space. I have 183GB free. I'm no serious gamer, just a casual wow player. Trying to learn to play with keybinds now, instead of clicking - just as a personal challenge.
  23. I agree 100%. I'm considering that. Two setups is not convenient though. A real gaming PC is expensive isn't it? I don't need liquid cooled but we don't use AC. I used to build gaming PC's but can't be bothered now. Still, I puke in my mouth a bit every time I see a vid showing MS pop-ups or screens. Apple has its quirks. Manufacturers and devs understandably don't want to deal with it. But Mac is far better and I'm willing to deal with scarcity of games and gear to avoid MS for now.
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