Hornyskunk

Do not question the Federal Reserve. The mental retardation of those in charge is beyond the comprehension of us, mere mortals.

The Fed Declares Recovery and Recession Simultaneously

I'm interested. Call me at 095-097-8599.

I'm happy to report that my currency exchange has gone through on both ends. Using transferwise, I was able to exchange 4000 USD for 139753.19 THB at basically the official exchange rate and without any fees whatsoever.

In total, it took 7 days from placing the order (July 29) to seeing the funds available in my Bangkok Bank account (Aug 5).

I placed an order to exchange $4000 via transferwise on the 29th. Since I used a promotion, there was no fee. I funded the order using a free ACH transfer from my US bank and gave transferwise the account information for my Thai bank.

Yesterday, the 30th, I got an email in the afternoon saying my funds had been cleared and the exchanged currency had been deposited in my Thai bank. However, I have yet to see a deduction of $4000 from my US bank and a deposit of ฿139753.19 in my Thai bank. The exchange rate used by transferwise was 34.938 baht per dollar, while the official exchange rate for that day (checked on Bloomberg) was 34.959 baht per dollar. As I mentioned, there were no fees; the transfer was completely free.

I'll update again once I see the transfers in both of my bank accounts. I don't doubt that the transfer has already taken place, as transferwise is apparently a very respectable company.

P.S. Now that I'm a transferwise customer, I can invite people and give them a free first transfer of up to 3000 (it says pounds, but I imagine dollars as well). If you want an invite and a free transfer, PM me. If you want to exchange more than 3000, fees are waived on the first 3000.

Hmmm... I haven't yet it but I'll give it a try today.

A while ago I signed up for transferwise, but never used it. I got an email from them recently offering a free transfer of up to $4500. I just checked their website and with the free transfer, 4500USD = 157,223.43THB, which is an exchange rate of nearly 35 baht per dollar. Apparently they will accept USD funds from my US bank using an ACH transfer, which for me is free, and deposit THB into the bank of my choosing.

Will let you know what happens.

Shouldn't the degree be in Epidemiology?

It could be, but it is sexier to do field work.

To be honest, it is actually quite easy to get a good job in Thailand...

1. Look at the reasons why Thailand is still a developing country.

2. Get a degree in a relevant field. Back up your degree with internships, work experiences, certificates, etc.

3. Apply for jobs with international NGOs or IGOs in Thailand.

4. PROFIT!

For example...

1. Using your brain, deduce that one of the million reasons why Thailand is still a developing country is because of high child mortality.

2. Get a degree in pediatrics. Volunteer in Africa to give antibiotic pills to children, thereby saving them from diarrhea. Publish a report on epidemiology.

3. Apply for a job at UNICEF.

4. Make a nontaxable 200k/month starting.

I got a filling for 800 baht at the Chulalongkorn University Faculty of Dentistry. I've only been that one time, but I think it is a cost-effective, safe and professional alternative to regular dentists. I will definitely go back whenever I need dental work again.

I've been meaning to check up on them, both for dentistry and medical things as well.

But, I guess I'm wondering, how did you access and deal with them? Did you get to pick your own dentist, or just show up in a queue and get given whomever was next in line? Are you getting a veteran dentist or a just out of dental school graduate? Also, AFAIK, the English speaking abilities of the staff (not doctors) at Chula is pretty minimal to non-existent.

I have a personal thing about wanting to know the background and training beforehand of the dentist who's sticking his/her hands into my mouth. And have an opportunity to converse with them about what they're doing, what needs to be done, what options may exist, etc etc.

Well.. I've only been there once, but here's how it went:

I arrived at the Faculty of Dentistry without an appointment shortly after noon. I was with a Thai colleague who originally suggested the place and acted as my translator. He spoke with the reception staff and gave me papers to fill out for new patients, which were in English. I had filled out and returned the forms with my passport when my Thai colleague left, but not before informing me that I was lucky there were so few people waiting (a dozen, maybe). I guess that the waiting hall is usually more full than on a weekday afternoon. After waiting a little more than half an hour, my passport was returned with a Faculty of Dentistry ID card (for future visits) and I was ushered to another seating area.

I waited 15 minutes before being called into a large diagnostic room full of dentists, students and examination chairs with patients. A veteran dentist with a group of students trailing her examined me immediately. The dentist, who spoke perfect

English, agreed with my diagnosis of needing a filling. She then left me in the care of two students for x-rays and a cleaning of the tooth in question. Finally, a nurse walked me over to another building, where I was seated in a small, but full waiting room.

I waited an hour before being called into a dentists office, where, again, there was a veteran dentist that spoke perfect English being watched by a group of students. He performed a filling quickly, painlessly and precisely, leaving the students to hold the contraption that somehow hardens the filling over time. WARNING: you may become aroused by a group of hot, hiso, light-skinned CU girls taking turns holding something in your mouth and staring at you whilst giggling amongst themselves. After everything, I paid a little more than 800 baht and left, though I had spent a grand total of 3 hours.

In conclusion, the CU Faculty of Dentistry is a cost-effective alternative to a regular dentist, but what it does not cost in money it instead charges in time spent waiting. The equipment, utensils, examination chairs, etc. are all up-to or surpass the quality I have seen at small dentist offices in the US, but do not, however, compare to the high-tech, brand-new equipment you might find in Korea, Japan or a US hospital (in a nice area). Although you will have the opportunity to discuss procedures and options with an English-speaking dentist, the whole experience is very assembly-line-like and requires patience. I'll be going back regardless, as the university pharmacy is nearby and I can have multiple health maintenance tasks (like vaccinations, medical and physical check-ups, eye exams, etc.) done cheaply by professionals in a one-day visit to CU.

I got a filling for 800 baht at the Chulalongkorn University Faculty of Dentistry. I've only been that one time, but I think it is a cost-effective, safe and professional alternative to regular dentists. I will definitely go back whenever I need dental work again.

I grew up with the internet. I'm with these guys:

IMHO, Thai drivers are dangerous because they would rather rely on trinkets and buddhas for good luck than their brains.

I love building computers. If you wanted to build a gaming PC, I'd do it for you for free.

Since you want something basic, however, I recommend buying a pre-built PC. You can save money buying a pre-built PC for students, as they are usually bundled with MS Windows and MS Office. Even with student discounts, I paid $80 for Windows 8 and $160 for Office 2013 when I built my current PC. In other words, I spent $240 on MS products on a PC I built myself when I could have just bought a $300 student PC with those products already installed.

If you are set on building a PC yourself, though, I'll give you my brand recommendations. Keep in mind that I recommend these brands for building a gaming PC; I've never built anything else. I think that all of these brands should have cheaper alternatives to their top-of-the-line stuff. For example, if you buy a basic PSU from the Corsair CX series, rather than the flagship AX-series that I use, I think it should still be very good compared to other brands at that price point.

PSU: Corsair. I find that, generally, price and weight = quality in PSUs. Don't skimp on the PSU, it is arguably the most important part.

Motherboard: MSI, ASUS or Gigabyte, depending on your needs in terms of slots, size, ports, etc. Gigabyte is the most cost-effective.

CPU: Intel > AMD. In recent years, Intel has released several new microarchitectures improving power consumption, heating and performance.

GPU: Nvidia > AMD. In recent years Nvidia has made huge advances in power consumption and performance while reducing heat and noise.

RAM: Corsair, although RAM quality and brand is not as important as it once was. Kingston HyperX RAM is cheap and great.

SSD: SanDisk, for the 10-year warranty. Samsung and Intel are probably marginally better, but only have 3- and 5-year warranties.

Wait...

Sweden? Summer break? Master's degree?

You wouldn't happen to be coming to Thailand to be with a particular girl, would you? This story sounds awfully familiar...

No, I took my Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering in Sweden and I want to take my Master's Degree here in Thailand because I want to live here afterwards.

I came here all alone with no such intentions.

What are the odds? My girlfriend recently told me a similar story about her work friend who has a Swedish boyfriend coming to Thailand during summer break from college.

Wait...

Sweden? Summer break? Master's degree?

You wouldn't happen to be coming to Thailand to be with a particular girl, would you? This story sounds awfully familiar...

Is it just me or is she not even close to being the prettiest/sexiest girl in Thailand?

My girlfriend once took part in a Thai beauty contest. The winner was chosen beforehand based on how much money her family had given to the operators.

Forgive me if I have misunderstood that statement. It reads to me that you were getting an income to help college students cheat, by writing their research papers.

Have I understood that correctly?

If so, please don't come looking for any job where I have an input as to whether you are offered employment or not.

Again, my apologies if I have misunderstood your statement.

It wasn't cheating. The research papers were all intended for publication. I was always thanked in the acknowledgments.

That being said, it sure felt a lot like cheating to me. Although I was paid as an "editor", the appalling English of the authors led me to basically rewrite the papers from scratch. Without my complete revision, I don't think that any of the papers would have had a chance at being published. This felt like cheating to me because, if a student could afford to pay me 4000-5000 baht, they were basically ensuring that their research would be published.

As you can imagine, word got around quickly and I am still dealing with the consequences. My current job and salary makes it a poor investment of time to edit research papers anymore, but I still get requests and I just don't have the heart to refuse them. Many of the students need to have published research in order to graduate. Others need it to meet the requirements of a scholarship or grant.

You could enter the foreign service and try to get posted to Thailand and live in Bangkok on a expat package + diplomatic immunity Thats the path I'm trying to pursue right now.

Don't do that. From what I understand, you've got excel on the FSOT on your first try to have any kind of leverage in where you are stationed. Instead, get a job with an IGO like the United Nations. Thailand is a developing country and has lots of IGO and NGO jobs. Earning $100k/year in the foreign service is like earning $75k/year at the UN since UN employees don't pay any taxes.

I did an unpaid internship in Bangkok last summer. Like you, it was for my master's degree. Here's my advice:

1. Forget about all that BS your school tells you about internships. Forget about pay, valuable experiences or relevance to your field of study.

2. Get an internship as a personal assistant to someone powerful. Don't look for an availability, but request your internship directly from the source.

3. Be intelligent and flexible. Be available to help your supervisor and their colleagues on whatever they need. Do an excellent job even without pay.

4. Forge long-term relationships. Use your supervisor and their connections to land yourself a good job after you graduate.

5. PROFIT

I am now living and working in Bangkok just 8 months after I graduated with my master's degree from the US. I work for an international organization that pays me an American salary. Were it not for my internship, I would probably be working as an English teacher for a fraction of my pay. The connections of my supervisor and his friends were invaluable for landing me my current job. We Americans often say it's not what you know, but who know. I am still good friends with my former supervisor.

I love dogs too much. I like to feed the well-behaved soi dogs. The bad ones get to help me practice my muay thai.

where can I make easy money in Thailand?

Well... I'm no expert, but I hear there's a lot of easy money to be made somewhere between soi cowboy and nana plaza. Happy hunting! It's always open season.

I look forward to dying. Someday, when my penis stops working, I'll overdose on painkillers. I figure if I take one every hour and meditate on my life, I'll enter a dream-like state and eventually forget to breathe.

We should have a forum to match people who want to buy and sell currencies. I would give you a better exchange rate than superrich because I've got dollars and I want baht.

what about this one:?

Whats he getting smacked up for....?

Maybe he was drunk and did something stupid. Why didn't he defend himself? Obviously he ain't Texan. God, please don't let something like that ever happen to me, for everyone's sake.

By Thai standards, 65k/month is a lot. I live and work in downtown Bangkok and I think you can live here off 65k/month no problem. If you need to send money home, you can live cheaply and more Thai-like.

I don't drink, don't smoke, don't pay for sex, don't go out for entertainment, etc. In my free time, I am either with my girlfriend or I'm home playing video games. I'm young so I have no medical expenses or children.

However, I have to warn you that you can still easily blow through 65k/month. I am moving to a new condo this Sunday and have estimated my new monthly expenses to be around 50k/month, so I'm budgeting 60k/month.

If you can, I advise you to splurge on your apartment or condo and try to save money elsewhere. I wish I could cut down on my air-conditioning costs, but I instantly burst into sweat every time I walk outside. This means I travel almost exclusively by taxi and I eat/shop only at expensive, air-conditioned places. When I was calculating my costs recently, I found that I spend almost 10k a month on taxis! At that rate I should just get my own car. If you can stand living, eating, shopping and traveling at higher temperatures, you could save more than 20k/month compared to me.

With 10m baht, I could finally marry my girlfriend, who I love more than anything. I've been wondering for a long time how I'll be able to afford her dowry. She is from a really good family.

dow·ry

noun

noun: dowry; plural noun: dowries

1. property or money brought by a bride to her husband on their marriage.

God, how I wish that were true. I've asked my dad to loan me money to pay her dowry, but he absolutely refuses because he's too old and white and intolerant. He told me in very racist terms that dowries are retarded and that if a culture is going to be so ignorant and uncivilized as to continue the practice, the dowry should always go to the man for having to put up with the woman for the rest of his life. I tend to agree with my dad on most things, but he doesn't understand love (he's borderline autistic).