2 minutes ago, Danderman123 said:

Deaths lag infection. Recorded deaths lag deaths.

If people are being released from the hospital in an average of 2.8 days (as the article stated) then we can probably assume that they didn’t die.  Only a fraction of the people who are currently in the ICU are even there for Covid related reasons.  It sounds as if there are other health issues that are far more pressing that need to be addressed.

5 minutes ago, Danderman123 said:

The experts are saying that it is too early to know much about Omicron.

 

your explanation for the jump in excess mortality in SA, that the excess deaths are due to vaccination, is ridiculous. It is possible that for some reason, people are dying from Delta in greater numbers, but it is also possible that there are undiagnosed deaths from Omicron. Specifically, people who fall ill, are never hospitalized, die at home, and are not yet counted as Omicron victims.

Your hypothetical scenarios are every bit as ridiculous.  I’m going with what the experts in SA seem to be saying.  So far…no deaths.  Appears to be mild.  Nothing to panic about.

2 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

Vaccinations only started going up slightly in SA a few days after the Omicron announcement, before that they were in a steady decline since Sept

Excess deaths only started going up at a similar time.

1 minute ago, Bkk Brian said:

I think you can make a logical assumption that they are also dying from Omicron

But that’s not what the experts are saying.  Including the WHO.

Of course, the forum experts would like to have us believe otherwise.

12 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

If you actually took the time to read this piece there is absolutely NO mention of Omicron killing anybody. Just that SA is suffering more excess deaths during an  Omicron wave, whilst delta presumably is still active. Fails to mention what the excess death variants are.

 

It also fails to make any mention of the low vaccine rates in SA and who is dying - if any of Omicron - after vaccine.

 

Just more scare mongering about Omicron with no evidence of ANY deaths from it

It’s interesting that excess deaths are immediately showing up just after a big vaccination push too.

3 minutes ago, Danderman123 said:

The death rate was not looking good last week. 

Stop spreading misinformation.  The topic is Omicron and so far, no deaths have been reported.

South Africa upbeat as battle of the Covid mutations rages: Omicron deaths still zero despite new coronavirus variant spreading twice as fast as deadly Delta

https://www.cityam.com/anxiously-optimistic-south-africa-holds-its-breath-as-battle-of-the-covid-mutations-rages-omicron-deaths-still-zero-despite-new-coronavirus-variant-spreading-twice-as-fast-as-deadly-delta/
 

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Wow, I saw a sofa for 800,000 and then one for over a million THB. After that the 68,000 THB sofa on one of the other sides looked almost reasonable...

Thanks

Yup…it’s really all relative.  I’m not much into the ultra high priced designer furniture although I do like some of the classics such as Knoll and Herman Miller.  Nathan Rhodes does some decent quality knockoffs of some of the mid century classics and I also feel that some of these small independent furniture makers around Bangkok (I’m not familiar with the “furniture district” offerings however) offer much better value (quality for price) than the lesser expensive “big box” stores.

Certain things you want to look for (some being harder to find these days vs back in the past)…

1.  Solid wood vs veneer over particle board.

2.  For sofas, eight way hand tied construction and kiln dried hardwood construction.

3.  For drawers, dove tailed joints vs stapled on drawer fronts.  It’s also good to know about different kinds of joinery.

I personally (for the most part) tend to lean towards the “buy once, cry once” attitude and get quality classic designs that will last a lifetime.  
 

“Quality (or lack thereof) is remembered long after the price is forgotten”

-Aldo Gucci

5 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Confidentiality of industry/business  information is nothing new and without proof of sinister intent your innuendo regarding this information being withheld is just that ‘innuendo’.

That you support the fact that it will take Pfizer 55 years to release information on their vaccine under the FOIA request when it is in the public’s interest is disgusting.

Shameful.

22 minutes ago, dia1 said:

I notice they only quote a few of the cabinet prices on line. What was the total cost for your full kitchen install if you don't mind me asking?

Mine was around 500k.  However, there are so many different options that the price can be much lower or much higher depending on cabinetry options, countertop material/thickness, sink(s), faucets, appliances etc.

Furthermore…to go into a little more detail….

Even in the picture above that represents the correct way to glue down a floor on concrete, there are two things that the installer there has done wrong.

1.  You can see that the coverage does not fully come to the end of the board.  See the red circle.

2.  Look at how old the trowel is.  You want a 3/8” bead of adhesive.  The trowel in the photo is old and they wear down quite quickly.  You will need multiple trowels (don’t worry, they are very inexpensive).  If you look at the beads in the photo, you can see that they are quite shallow as the trowel in the picture has worn down.

46 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I saw this in several (not Thai) videos about tiles. A friend had tiling done in Thailand and it seems all the contractors told him that is not the way they do it (in Thailand).

Do you know if self leveling concrete is used by many, or at least some, contractors in Thailand? 

 

Personally I know only the theory. It seems to me self leveling concrete has the big advantage that it can be seen that the floor is level before anything is installed on top of it. I.e. with tiles if they are not properly installed that does not mean it looks bad right from the start. It may take some time (long after the payment) that tiles get lose... 

I have watched them do tile work here and I’m not impressed.  They will just throw thicker patches of mortar in the low areas and with the consistency of the mortar, I’m not surprised that I have seen so many tiles pop up in many different condos.  I doubt that they use self leveling cement here even though it’s sold.  I had to use it on my bottom floor in my condo here even though the installers assured me that the floors were perfectly flat before the wood was laid.  They ended having to rip up about 5 square meters in the entry way as the front door wouldn’t open properly as the concrete was too high on one side (needed to angle grind it down) and too low on the other (needed to fill it in).  Thankfully that was all they laid.  I filled in the low spots and then finished the whole downstairs myself with some help from a friend.

When I did my kitchen floor back in the US, where the subfloor was plywood, after making sure it was level, I screwed down hardiebacker board (https://www.jameshardie.com/products/hardiebacker-cement-board) and used the ready mixed mortar that came in 5 gallon containers.  I’m not sure if either is sold here but I would certainly look for it if I was going to attempt a tile job here…even if doing it on top of concrete.

At first, I was going to hire a “pro” to install it until the girl I was dating laughed at me, told me she did her own tile work in her house and let me borrow her tile saw.  I ended up doing a better job than the “pro-installer” did on my friends house across the street years later.

Doing flooring is incredibly simple and easy.  You just have to care. Unfortunately, finding someone who cares here (or even back in the US) isn’t an easy task, and you won’t know until the job is done.

There are tons of websites, YouTube videos (read the comments too because the pros will shred the uploader for whatever mistakes they are making), and also flooring forums for any and every type of flooring.  I also took a 1 hour class at the local Home Depot where the basics were explained but it really isn’t necessary.

If you (or anybody else reading this thread) goes with a glue down (laminate/vinyl/wood) floor, the pictures below will show you the right way and the wrong way to apply the glue.  It’s a lot more expensive to do it the right way but you’ll be glad you did.  Don’t forget the painters tape either to hold the planks in place while the adhesive cures.  And make sure the subfloor is completely flat and use self leveling concrete if not.

Don’t let the installers tell you “we don’t do it this way in Thailand”
 

Also, a good article on why you want to glue it down vs float it…

https://flooring-experts.com/vinyl-floor-adhesive-laying/

I had Kvik do my kitchen and am quite happy with it.  Good prices for a mid-range kitchen IMHO.

They also do bathrooms.

https://www.kvik.co.th/th/stores/kvik-pattaya

2 minutes ago, tonray said:

Yeah...the mistake was handing them something not explicitly required. And I made no commentary about your attire.

I know you didn’t make a comment about my attire…but I’m sure you have seen the assumptions come up on Thaivisa when people have talked about issues with immigration before.

I have always handed them things that are explicitly not required and they sift through them and hand back what is not needed.  This time was different.  I expected to get the letter back rather than being asked for the original.  Last time, it was handed back.

52 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

I was being polite. Your account has issues. One more time.... insurance is NOT required for extension from non O.

Just to add I have never even read a report remotely to match your experience.

BTW, I also did my annual extension at CW on Nov 2. 

Is your prior visa a non O-A. 

Did you call for a supervisor.

Have you done an extension at CW previously. Let's stick to facts.

I gave you the facts.

My visa is a Non-O.  

No, I didn’t call for a supervisor.  
 

Glad your renewal went smoothly.  Mine did too but as I said before…the rules were different for me that time.

And yes, I’ve done extensions at CW before.  Insurance wasn’t required at that time.

49 minutes ago, tonray said:

Since the O Visa extension has never had an insurance requirement, how was it you were ready with insurance papers and copies ? Are you sure you did not have an OA visa and we're extending that ?

Because I always read about immigration officers changing the rules to suit their whims.  Every time I go I bring far more than necessary up to and including my original chanote and copies, copies of my condo purchase agreement etc.  I hand them the whole stack of papers and let them take what they want/need/require and they hand back the rest.   When the officer (this time) got to the copy of the letter from the insurance agency stating that I had insurance, she asked for the original.  And yes, I’m quite sure that I have a Non-O and not an OA.

I’m not trying to state that it is a requirement or that what they did was correct, but I don’t really like trying to argue with immigration officers.  And no, I’m not dressed inappropriately (Khakis and a Polo button down) nor unbathed/unshaven/dreadlocks/long hair etc. 

Like I said…I guess this time I just happened to draw the short straw.

6 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

He did not outline clearly the circumstances.

All I can possibly come up with is that the renewal of extension was early after a reentry and they wanted to see the 50k policy that he would have needed for entry.

Apart from that insurance is NOT required to obtain an extension from non O.

(STV an exception).

Didn’t leave the country,  nothing to do with Covid insurance.  I clearly outlined the circumstances by saying I was renewing my non-O visa based on retirement at Changwattana and the immigration officer asked for my proof of insurance and that I had to hand over the original and not the copy I had made.  No more, no less.

You can huff and puff about what is required or not.  I’m just saying that when I went in October for my annual extension it was required.  YMMV

12 minutes ago, david555 said:

And in August when extending my Non "O" ret. ext.  at Jomtien it was NOT asked .....

So at good old Thai Immigration tradition  all offices , or desk or even officers  can be different at any given moment ????

Yup.  So basically, the “official” rules as stated by the experts here mean nothing.  If you happen to draw the short straw on the day of extension, you lose.

15 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

That was false info posted on news website that was  later removed.

It is only for OA visas and it started in October of this year for a new OA visa. On September 1st of next year it will start for extension of a OA visa entry based upon retirement.

I was required to provide proof of insurance when extending my Non-O extension based on retirement at Changwattana back in mid October.  They wouldn’t even accept a copy of the letter from the insurance agency (Pacific Prime)…had to be the original.

I would be afraid of getting hit with a large special assessment in the last few years of the lease myself.  Not speaking to this particular building, but in general…If the leaseholder currently owns a majority of the units in a building, couldn’t that leaseholder vote for improvements, to be partially paid for by other current owners, before regaining full ownership?