RSD1

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What does that mean exactly? He has high blood creatinine? High BUN? Those baseline kidney tests alone aren't enough to go on to reach a complete and solid diagnosis. He needs to get a Crystatin-C blood test (the definitive kidney marker/function blood test) and an ultrasound done on his kidneys and reviewed by a nephrologist. Those tests will reveal a lot more about the state of his kidneys. He could also check his Blood Albumin. If that's high then that could also be an indication of poor kidney function. And do some urine tests for Urine Protein, Urine Creatinine and Urine Albumin to see if any of those are present in his urine. If they are, then that's another sign that the kidneys aren't filtering very well and that some of those waste products are leaching out into his urine when they shouldn't be. But before all those baseline diagnostic tests have been done then I wouldn't reach any definitive conclusions about his kidney function.

Following is the reply that I received from Wise, along with the two links they sent me which are posted below it. This basically doesn't really answer any questions. But in conclusion, I expect, if you wire transfer JPY into your Wise account, that it will cost you about $25-$40 for the correspondent bank fee. --- Thank you for your inquiry. To transfer Japanese Yen (JPY) into your Wise account, it would indeed require a SWIFT wire transfer to your Wise bank account in the UK. While we do not charge any fees for incoming wire or SWIFT transfers, please be aware that correspondent or intermediate banks may apply their own fees. These fees are outside of Wise’s control, so it’s always a good idea to check with the sending bank or intermediary banks for any potential charges before making the transfer. Please note that we do not provide local account details for holding a JPY balance. However, you can receive JPY along with other currencies using your GBP Swift account details. You can receive the following currencies into your GBP Swift account: AED, GBP, EUR, USD, AUD, BGN, CAD, CHF, CZK, CNY, DKK, HKD, HUF, ILS, JPY, NOK, NZD, PLN, SEK, RON, SGD, UGX, and ZAR. For more information on how to receive non-GBP currencies via SWIFT check here. Should you have any more questions or need assistance, feel free to reach out. Best regards, Wise Customer Support https://wise.com/help/articles/3KEJruODkhi59TZbSxO2xn/what-are-swift-usd-correspondent-fees https://wise.com/help/articles/3TLlYBP6W8m2aNZJZd3EpK/how-to-use-gbp-details-to-receive-other-currencies-via-swift

Yes, I already spoke to the sending bank. They looked on the system and told me that the system is suggesting JP Morgan Chase as the intermediary bank, but the sending bank told me that they don't have the option to choose the sending bank and also said that if Barclays could be used as the intermediary bank, then there would be possibly no extra charge, but again, it is not up to the sending bank. They said that they don't choose the intermediary bank and that I would need to speak to Wise. I've already sent Wise a support email to ask the question, but it can be days before you even get a response from them. You used to be able to just call and get phone support, but that's finished now. Nearly impossible to reach them other than by sending an email and then waiting for days.

Your welcome. Prescription glasses in Thailand are really very expensive. But with Zenni it's the complete opposite and you could afford to buy multiple pairs and keep them in different rooms in your house if you like.

Not quite. Club (Italian made) are definitely the thinnest and don't even have gum on them. The company is about 150 years old. Then you have Rizla (French made), which have also been making papers for almost 250 years. Their papers are thinner than ZZ, but a bit thicker than Club. Big Bambu Pure Hemp (from Spain) are really nice too, not as thin as ZZ, but not made from wood pulp either, and so no harshness at all. Beautiful design artwork as well, featuring the smiling, winking Spaniard with his Spanish hat. The iconic design-work is almost 150 years old now.

Yes, I’ve been using this method for a few years now. Another thing I do every few months is replace my digital card. If you go into the app, click on your card, and scroll down, you’ll find an option to replace it. I do this as an extra security measure, especially since card details often get stored in various Thai financial systems. I’m always cautious about the potential for hacks or data breaches in Thailand. I actually use two digital cards for different purposes. One is dedicated exclusively to my phone’s mobile wallet, and the other is strictly for online purchases. The online purchases card is saved in various online accounts with vendors, but I keep it frozen/locked in the app most of the time. I only unlock it temporarily when making an online purchase, then lock it again immediately after. This ensures no unauthorized transactions can occur, even if the card details are compromised by one of the vendors storing my information. The digital card in my mobile wallet, however, stays active at all times. As mentioned earlier, I replace this card periodically for added security. Another security feature you might find useful is the ability to create “jars” within your Wise account. These jars let you store most of your funds separately from the main balance linked to your card. You can transfer smaller amounts to the currency account you use for daily spending and link your card only to that account. For example, if you have ฿100,000 in your Wise account, you could move ฿80,000 into a jar and keep only ฿20,000 in your active Thai baht account. Then, you can link your card to the account with ฿20,000. This way, even if your card is compromised, the rest of your funds in jars or other currencies remain safe.

I think many Fintech companies that are operating in the US are using Plaid now to help prevent fraud when linking bank account accounts to a Fintech service account. It happened to me the other day too when I went to link a bank account to Privacy.com, which is another US based Fintech company.

To transfer Japanese Yen into a Wise account it requires a SWIFT wire transfer to a Wise bank account in the UK. As far as I know, Wise doesn’t charge any fees for incoming wire and/or Swift transfers. However, does anyone know if there are any charges from intermediate or correspondent banks when transferring Japanese Yen currency into a Wise account?

Latest update of 3 strains from Fis high 420. Looks pretty good for that price of ฿11 per gram. They look like decent buds.

Yes, just about anything that gets delivered through the post office now into Thailand will have a small fee on it of a few Baht. I'm not sure how it's calculated, but I just received an order of vitamins from overseas that was valued at right around ฿1500 and I have to pay a fee of ฿63 for it when they deliver it. I had a similar order a few weeks ago, same valuation in the order and that time the fee was only ฿28.

I would do the same as a temporary solution. Can always find those around in outdoor markets. They won't have very clear or sharp lenses, or last very long, but good for a short usage period.

6200 Baht for a pair of glasses is a lot more than I'm used to paying on Zenni. Were yours progressive lenses or something more costly like that? Meanwhile, good chance this whole topic is a windup, but I posted that information about Zenni earlier just in case it's helpful to anybody else really looking for eyeglasses at the moment.

You can quickly order prescription eyeglasses for reading or distance online for as little as $12 per pair from Zenni, an American company. By selecting one of their lowest-priced $7 frames, my usual choice, you can keep costs low. Occasionally, I splurge on a $10 or $12 frame, but even then, the total price of a pair of glasses remains incredibly affordable. I recommend choosing one of their lightweight frames, typically around 11-13 grams, as the weight is listed in the detailed description for each frame. Lighter frames are much more comfortable for all-day wear and won’t leave red marks on the bridge of your nose after a few hours. I’ve tried heavier frames (over 20 grams) in the past, but they weren’t as comfortable for extended use. The lenses are free if you have a simple, single-vision prescription. For just $5 more, you can add non-reflective lenses, a worthwhile upgrade in my experience. This means a $7 frame with non-reflective lenses totals $12. I usually skip another option they offer of upgrading to a higher lens index (thinner lenses) since it adds unnecessary cost to the glasses for my needs. Zenni also lets you upload a photo of yourself to try on different styles virtually, making it easy to see how various frames will look on your face. I’ve been ordering from Zenni for years and have always been satisfied. Manufacturing your order and shipping it to Thailand usually takes a total of about two weeks until they are in your hands, sometimes less, and they charge a flat delivery fee of $10, regardless of how many pairs you order. To avoid steep import duties in Thailand, I typically order no more than 2-3 pairs at a time, keeping the total cost under 1,500 Baht (approximately $43). If ordering more than a few pairs, I would split the order into 2-3 orders to avoid the import duties. If you’re ordering for the first time, Zenni offers a full refund or replacement if you’re unhappy with your glasses or make an error on your prescription, no need to return the glasses to them. Zenni offers exceptional quality at an unbeatable price in my opinion. Their non-reflective, high-quality plastic lenses are durable and rarely scratch. As long as you know your detailed prescription information and pupillary distance, you can expect perfect results every time. https://zenni.com

If the symptoms don't improve soon then I would visit at least 2 more doctors to get additional opinions to ensure that diagnosis is correct. Maybe you should also see a doctor who's not just a skin doctor, but may be a GP or possibly even an infectious disease specialist, a toxicologist or an allergist. The fact that you've now got it on both legs, and that the rash didn't appear on both legs simultaneously, makes it more confusing.

Yes, they also did well, but nobody knows. I wouldn't make any assumptions. You might outlive them both. 👍🏼

Lovely. You are a lucky man. There used to be another foreigner who lived on my floor many years ago and chain smoked cigarettes in his room. He lived there for years, and I never even met him once as my understanding was that he was incapacitated and never left the apartment. He also drank incessantly. Once every month or so, I would see a case of the large sized Sang Som bottles, empty and placed out in the corridor for the maids to dispose of. There was another woman living on my floor, who despised the smell of smoke, and she used to plaster the walls outside of his apartment door with no smoking stickers on a regular basis. It didn't change anything though. He probably never even knew the stickers were there. In our building, we also have an air ventilation system, which feeds into every bathroom, however, all of the ventilation of everyone's bathroom is connected to the same line of air ducts. A terrible design. So it means if somebody is smoking down the hall, the smoke will eventually pass through the ventilation ducts in the bathroom and into your apartment. I discovered that early on and plugged up the ventilators in my bathroom. So I never have to deal with anybody else's smelly backfires. I think the guy who smoked heavily eventually passed away, either during Covid or just shortly before then. While he was living there, I used to see his girlfriend or wife going in and out of the building regularly. She was always very polite and I always said hello, but I never inquired any further about him. Then one day, the smell was gone and so was she. So I just assume assumed that he passed away and she moved out. So sometimes time can also fix a problem.

When people live hedonistic lifestyles they often refer to other people like you as a reference and as a way of living in denial and justifying their own unhealthy existence. I knew a woman who was like that and who died in her early 70s with pulmonary complications related to smoking. Yet she often referred to others a lot older than her who did the same and seemingly without consequence. Point being, although good fortune has been on your side for 83 years, there are many who don't make it half as far on the same set of tires. Who knows why, I still think if your goal is longevity then you should try not to poison or damage your body in any extreme manner or on an ongoing basis. Having said that though you have won the game of life and are a walking testament to the contrary. Perhaps it's all just luck and based on winning the genetic lottery. Who really knows?

Is it? But it's not modern American politically divisive driven slang like the current uses newly assigned to those other 2 words. The word cringe was first recorded in 1175–1225 from Middle English and its meaning, the way I used it, was already derived hundreds of years ago.

I completely agree. These political references have nothing to do with weed smoking or any new condo rules about it. The real issue here is the use of weed in a condo and the potential disruption it may cause to other residents. Yet throughout this discussion, I’ve noticed several replies where people use terms like Woke or Karen. Whenever I hear those words, I just cringe. I don’t care what they’re meant to represent; they’re simply modern American stereotypes used to label behavior. I also tend to dislike newer forms of American slang. Words like these often lack humor, wit, or any clever use of the English language. To me, such terms are both meaningless and repugnant and I don't want to add to that kind of discourse by even responding to them. I also generally avoid engaging with people who use them all together, as it suggests a lack of independent thought and a weak reliance on cliched slurs instead of any meaningful expression. Resorting to these labels reflects an inability to describe situations without leaning on divisive rhetoric drawn from political pop culture or cancel culture. You’d never catch me using words like these, or anything similar, even if someone’s behavior aligns perfectly with their definitions. I prefer to express my thoughts in my own words. The last thing I ever want is to be labeled part of a movement where people blindly follow the lead dog, stuck with a narrow, unchanging perspective of something that lacks any substance to begin with.

He was great. He once narrated a fantastic PBS series documentary about the history of New York that was created by Ken Burns. DOS also had a great speaking voice. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0220924

Living in a condo there are always going to be rules that one need to comply with. It's part of the package. And smoking is always going to be a contentious issue for anyone that smokes anything while living in a condo. So rules aside, have you come up with an alternative solution that's workable for you?

Agreed. 👍🏼

A completely revolting habit and smell. And so is cigarette smoke. The smell of burning cannabis can be nice when it isn't too strong. It kind of has a pleasant herbal scent to me. Even though I vape, I still wouldn't want to be stuffed in a room full of heavy cannabis smoke either though. Basically all smoke is unhealthy to breathe in and I don't want to breathe any smoke that I don't need to. In fact, everyone should have the human right not to be forced to breathe in any second hand smoke at all if they don't want to. To me that right applies both in the home and in public places. Condos are semi-public places in the sense that it's basically a shared living space. If you don't want to live in that sort of communal living environment where you have to be mindful of others then you need to get yourself a house and you can smoke it up all you want.

I missed that. Yes, possession definitely does go too far. I don't think legally they can even enforce that.