mstevens

I'm curious about the guy's background. He obviously has a lot of money. How did he make it? Was it through legitimate means? His behaviour makes me wonder about that.

When someone makes a lot of legitimately money in business, generally if you Google their name you will get some background on the businesses they have owned / run / been involved in. Not in every case, of course - but in most. But Google this guy and what do you find? An elephant sanctuary. I can't imagine that's a road to riches. Far from it, in fact.

The question of how he made his money is relevant because this man's behaviour is not what you'd expect of someone who is leading the lifestyle of a wildly successful guy. Those who have done well for themselves, who live in uber expensive, beach-front houses on a tropical island and who drive brand-new German vehicles generally don't behave like this man.

So how did he make his money? I'd love to know more about his background. It seems to me there are some big questions to be answered.

18 hours ago, Pattaya57 said:

I was pretty average at school probably because my "poor uneducated" parents never made me do homework. I also cruised through my air force apprenticeship just doing what I had to because I didn't know better.

 

Then went to uni on engineering degree and recieved best student of the year, then got Golden Key Honours Society for supposedly best 15% of academic performance on the planet. Then got Masters degree and retired rich at 52

 

Now I'm posting on a forum that other posters continue to say my comments suck. I give up as to why so many people are supposedly now smarter than me?

 

Could be achohol related...

 

Impossible to say from these comments whether you're smart or not, although spelling "received" and "alcohol" wrong doesn't suggest you're great at spelling which could be a tiny indicator for someone who is smart / intelligent.

Your attitude does shine through, however. Let's just say that you don't come across as humble or modest.

2 hours ago, Jingthing said:

It sounds like he deserves it but then again I'm not thrilled to hear about expats being deported as a general thing. I would have preferred some kind of plan where this man was forced to humiliate himself publicly in a super dramatic way. Lost face for life. I doubt he would reoffend.

I very much agree with this.

59 minutes ago, TorquayFan said:

As I read it the matter has been referred to Immigration by the Police, for a decision on his visa, which has not been cancelled yet . . .

 

If Immigration do decide to cancel his Visa, good riddance.

 

 

I reckon he'll be scurrying to offer a significant amount of compensation to the doctor he assaulted, a donation to the ambulance service he gave the bird to and a big, big wai on national TV....and if he is lucky, he might not get botted out.

New Zealand was very disappointing. On paper this is a reasonable NZ side - not as good as Australia but far from terrible - but they always seem to crumble when they come up against the Aussies as if there's a problem mentally going up against Australia. NZ will get done in the second test too, no doubt.

8 hours ago, farangbuffalo said:

So no confirmation yet if this is worldwide or just NZ?

This new system is supposed to come in to effect on March 19, 15 days from now. When can we expect embassies in USA / Europe / Other Places to announce it? This week? Next week? You'd hope they would announce it soon so people were aware and could apply using the current system and prices.

4 hours ago, john donson said:

 

where to buy? what brand? how much mg... I really would love to try edibles...

I have tried a few different types of Melatonin for sleep - different brands and different dosages. This one works well for me, and is cheap. I like it because it helps you to fall asleep AND stay asleep. And the latter was my problem. I would often wake up a few hours after falling asleep and struggle to get back to sleep. This has really helped with that.

https://www.lifeextension.com/vitamins-supplements/item01786/melatonin-6-hour-timed-release

8 hours ago, jts-khorat said:

 

Interestingly, a lot of fruit easily available in Thailand are very high in magnesium: bananas, durian, fried plantains, jackfruit, guavas, etc.

 

I have seen recommendations to have a smoothie in the evening, maybe half an hour before bed time (if you have no issues with sugar).

 

A good time to also put in all that nasty raw broccoli we all are supposed to consume in heaps as we age, for the Spermidine. I can report, the taste of a banana-broccoli smoothie is actually acceptable, if barely so.

This is only partially true. The RDI of magnesium for a male is over 400 mg. A banana has around 30 mg. 100 grams of durian has around 30 mg of durian (so you'd have to eat 1.3 kg of durian to reach the RDI of magnesium). The amount of magnesium in broccoli and guava is even lower. For sure, it's great to get minerals and vitamins from food and a balanced diet is definitely the way to go. However, if you're deficient or simply wish to load up on magnesium to help relax and potentially help with sleep, then supplementing may be the way to go.

16 hours ago, John Drake said:

Any follow up on this? Does this story have legs? Or is it just a New Zealand only thing?

Of course it’s not a New Zealand only thing. There is absolutely no reason why it would be. It was simply that the Thai embassy in New Zealand announced it first. New fees are coming soon to an embassy and consulate near you!

Magnesium can help to make you feel relaxed. It's also a useful supplement to take as many of us are deficient in it.

From all that I have read, the impression I get is that magnesium is often a part of sleep supplement formulas - but often just one of several other ingredients. Whether magnesium alone is enough to help you sleep, I am not sure. But certainly, 200 mg of Magnesium Glycinate should not hurt!

How is your liver health? TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) says waking up at 1 AM  - 3 AM can be a sign of a congested / overworked liver. Of course, this might have nothing to do with why you're waking at that time, but it's something to consider.

26 minutes ago, Highlandman said:

He's a bit of a cheap Charlie. Decided not to come back more often, due to "high flight prices". Thus he's only been back once since the end of Covid restrictions.

Read somewhere that he lives with his Mum and Dad as he can't afford to rent his own place. What a life!

5 hours ago, Korat Kiwi said:

I agree what another post says.  Come here for 30 days under visa exempt. Apply for an extension if required.  And if you want to stay longer.... Do a border run. 

 

I think this may just be the start...  Other visas may get hit with a price hike soon. 

It may no longer be the land of smiles for us retirees.

How long has it been since the visa extension fee of 1,900 baht increased? It is many years, right? If that went up 600%, that would take it up to over 10,000 baht. I think there will be a lot of very unhappy people if that happens. With that said, that visa extension fee is handled by a different government depart to visa fees at embassies and consulates.....but you would expect that at some point that 1,900 baht visa extension fee is going to go up too.

6 hours ago, BerndD said:

There are no changes on the homepage of the Thai Embassy in Berlin, the Non-Immigrant 1-year multiple-entry visa costs €175 = 6.808 THB.

Check around March 15 or 16 and you'll probably see an update then.

So what is the reason for this increase in New Zealand, and seemingly not elsewhere? There are a few possibilities:

1.  The price increases are indeed worldwide and the embassy in New Zealand jumped the gun in publishing the new prices. Consulates and embassies elsewhere will follow with announcements in the days before March 19. I strongly believe this is the case. Let's not forget that there have been changes to visa policy in the past that has been announced just a few days before the change came in.

2.  The new prices reflect the rates Thais have to pay for a visa to visit that country. If that were the case, expect adjustments elsewhere around the world and visa fees to be different, depending on where you apply / what your nationality is.

3.  New Zealand is a test case to see what sort of change there is to visitor numbers if visa fees are hiked significantly, with this used as part of the decision-making process to determine how much to increase fees by elsewhere. New Zealand has been used as a test market for some products released by major Japanese manufacturers such as Panasonic, so you could say there is precedent for this, even if it seems unlikely.

My money is firmly on number 1. The Thai embassy in New Zealand jumped the gun and published the new visa prices early. I maintain that come March 19, wherever you are in the world you'll be paying the equivalent rate for a visa in your local currency.

6 hours ago, Neeranam said:

I thought NZ had an agreement with Thailand so no visa was required for up to 90 days.

That was abolished 24 years ago, after New Zealand changed the rules on Thais who until that point could visit New Zealand visa free for 90 days. When NZ changed the rules on Thai passport holders, Thailand did the same to NZ passport holders.

13 hours ago, daveAustin said:

Sounds like a load of old b'llox or maybe a kiwi thing. Thailand would shoot itself in the foot if it started charging proper money for visas, while Vietnam would clean up. I mean, they've just been giving them away to the Chinese. 

I think it's simply a case that the Thai embassy in New Zealand jumped the gun and posted the new fees before it was officially announced. With forum moderator George coming out and saying the MFA will be announcing new WORLDWIDE visa fees on Tuesday, you can take these new fee rates as Gospel.

15 hours ago, zzzzz said:

why?? arrive get a 30 day FREE visa exempt
30 day extension 1,900 baht ( $53)
or travel and get one in laos, malaysia, Cambodia for $40!
what is wrong with new Zealand? 

I would expect that the price to extend a visa in country of 1,900 baht will jump by a similar amount. Before it was 500 baht, it was 1,900 baht - so it increased by almost four x. Could that happen again? Could it become 7,500 baht or thereabouts to extend a visa?! Oh, this is going to hurt a lot of people!

15 hours ago, Korat Kiwi said:

That's just dumb.  Fly to Vientiane and get a tourist visa for 1900 baht. 

 

That's just NZ$85

 

I knew things were expensive in NZ (and that's one of the reasons why I left Nov 2023) but I thought Thailand was suppose to be encouraging people to come visit. 

 

Crazy crazy crazy

Thai embassies and consulates around the world standardise the price of visas. So if a visa costs NZD 50, it will be around USD 30 in the USA, UK 25 etc which is about the same price as NZD 50. There will be slight differences due to fluctuating exchange rates but they work out to be roughly the same price. This is nothing to do with New Zealand being an expensive country.

Assuming these visa fee increases as posted at the Thai Embassy in New Zealand are for real, you can expect similar price increases in all Thai embassies and consulates around the world from the same date, March 19.

These price increases are very steep!

On 2/21/2024 at 7:05 AM, BenStark said:

 

Americans you mean?  🙂

I gather neither Sanuk nor Stickman are American.

22 degrees all night long for me!