mstevens

It used to be good but it changed ownership and, sadly, has gone downhill. The pizza base used to be Napoli style and now it is crispy and nothing like it used to be. A shame.

A balanced diet, an active lifestyle and no underlying disease? The problem is, that probably doesn't describe many retirees in Thailand at all. That's why I think some vitamin supplementation - and at the very least, a high-quality multivitamin - is beneficial to most.

Following the record loss against the Springboks, I think the All Blacks chances of winning the Rugby World Cup are close to zero (and I say that as a New Zealander). In all likelihood, New Zealand will meet South Africa or Ireland in the quarter final and I just cannot see them overcoming either. Those two sides have a suffocating style that the All Blacks just don't know how to overcome. It is looking increasingly like the confidence in New Zealand after the first 4 matches of this year was largely misplaced. We beat Argentina (who aren't great) and Australia twice (who also aren't great and in fairness, we were lucky to win the second match). We did beat South Africa well last month but that was at home. Away from home, we saw what happened in today's match. I really think there are only 3 teams who can win this world cup - Ireland, France and South Africa. I can't see any of the other usual heavyweights like NZ, Australia or England offering much resistance.

An agent saying that would concern me. I always got my condo deposit back without any problem - and every one of my landlords in Bangkok has been Thai. The problem with a landlord from China is what if they happen to be in China when you move out of the condo and are waiting for the return of your deposit?

I used to feel an allegiance and pride towards my home country of New Zealand. Unfortunately, I no longer feel that way and at times, I feel the complete opposite. As my country of birth has changed rapidly, becoming insanely politically correct to the point that my demographic - middle-class white men - has become public enemy number one and blamed for all of the country's ills, I no longer feel any allegiance towards the country. Why should I when my country appears to hate me and "my kind" for no bloody reason?!

Isn't Nana Plaza owned by foreigners? Pretty sure it is.

Precisely!

I can't speak of other countries but in my country, New Zealand, pretty much all tradespeople across all industries (building, plumbing, gas, electrical etc.) happily provide a written quote (fixed price) or an estimate (non-fixed price) of what a job will cost, with details of exactly what the job involves. For any professional, this will not take very long at all. Paying for a quote is almost unheard of here.

For top-end Indian restaurant, I think Benares in Sukhumvit soi 13 which is a relatively newcomer, is the best. I prefer it to Charcoal or Punjab Grill. The old favourite Indus on soi 26 is pretty good. Rang Mahal which a few people have mentioned is good if you go for the Sunday buffet. For mid-level, Bukhara on Sukhumvit Road, near soi 7, is very good.

The Scotland team is VERY unlikely to make it out of the pool stage, let alone win it. Scotland is in a pool with two of the powerhouses of world rugby, South Africa and Ireland - and only two teams make it through to the quarter-finals from each pool. But then you never know, perhaps Scotland will do ok. Scotland did beat France in a friendly match this past weekend, although it was largely a second-string French team.

September 9th. Opening game will be a cracker, France vs New Zealand.

After the latest round of matches, England looked like crap and Australia looked a lot better than they, despite being beaten by New Zealand who were much less impressive this week.

No doubt this is true for you and I agree that it is the best reason to live in Thailand. But from what I hear from many people myself as well as what I read in this forum, many people live in Thailand because (they perceive) it's cheap.

Couldn't disagree more. I thought it promised so much but in the end never reached the heights it promised. The last episode was very weak. For me, it was a 5/10 series and no more.

Intriguing tournament ahead with a number of teams who can win it. Favourites have got to be France but Ireland and New Zealand also look good. I'd never write off South Africa despite their last two results. Australia and England are on the easy side of the draw so they are in with a shot but I am not sure either has a sufficiently strong team this year to win it. I'd love to see France vs New Zealand final which has the potential to be a classic match. Funnily enough, these two teams meet in the opening match. Can't wait!

You ask for receipts they have from all filings with the Tax Department and you and your accountant physically accompany them to the Tax Department and get copies of all recent filings.

That is why you insist on the books they provided to the tax department and make all calculations based on those figures. Being a cash busness, no doubt, the numbers listed are BELOW what they actually made.

Tea tree oil works really well to clear nail fungus. I've never bought it in Thailand but if you can find it, it's very effective.

Because so many of these bars are poorly run and they don't even think of the basics, like offering a menu showing what is available (and the prices!)

Rented a few different condos in Bangkok and every time my deposit was returned in full when I left.

What does it say in your contract? Usually, if you break the lease and don't fulfil the full term of the contract, you forfeit the deposit. If there is no clause in your contract that says you can give x number of months notice and you will then get your deposit back then I am afraid you're out of luck. There is a reason why a lease is signed for a lease of a certain period. The length of the lease gets the tenant a lower monthy rate i.e. a 12 month lease might get 25K / month, 6 months might be 30K / month, 1 month might be 60K / month. A shorter lease invariably means a higher monthly rate.

That's a worry about the hospital forgetting the abdomen scan. Hmmm.... While one does not want to get ahead of themselves, if it turns out you have gallstone(s), there are options other than surgery. Take your time to research gallstones and don't feel pressured in to surgery, In fact, I'd urge you to strongly consider those other options before surgery to remove the gallbladder which in many cases is unnecessary. Good luck on Tuesday!

1. Friendly, cheerful, amenable local Thai people. 2. Low cost of living allowing a higher standard of living than back home. 3. The fact that in most of the country it never gets cold. 4. The opportunity to meet a lady for a lifelong partnership who truly embraces her femininity. 5. Outstanding food and the varied and increasingly sophisticated dining scene, not just Thai food but also international food.

From the sounds of it, a sleep specialist would probably be the way to go. Not something I know anything about but if it's a breathing issue causing sleep problems then maybe a CPAP machine might help? Obviously you need professional help if you go down that route. There are various supplements that can help sleep including: Melatonin L Tryptophan GABA 5 HTP Magnesium They're all a little different, work slightly differently and some can be combined. My personal experience trying all of these found that 5HTP worked best for me. However, in your case, it definitely sound like seeing a sleep specialist would be the way to go.

1. Terrible air quality for much of the year. 2. Huge number of really low quality expats who think their sxxt doesn't stink. 3. Convoluted visa rules. 4. Selective or even non-enforcement of laws. 5. Oppressively hot and humid weather for several months of the year.