tweezer

Looks like they have found the body. It was in Bangkok Post this morning.

Funny, thought it was in the river.

Another Troll?

Surely... probably the same guy

Hi,

Does anyone have (or know where one might find) a model release form in both Thai and English? I'm looking for one that can be used here as internationally.

Thanks!

--T.

Here's the view from my balcony at about 7 PM last night (1-Dec.) I'm looking southwest from Laksi. Jupiter and Venus... but which is which?

Cheers,

--T.

At least according to the online traffic sites, doesn't look like a problem so far:

NECTEC real time traffic Google maps overlay

Another NECTEC real-time traffic site

(You can tick the English box at the bottom of the latter site.

Thanks Bubba... I didn't know those sites existed! Very useful.

Protesters disperse from Parliament, move to Don Muang

Argh!!! My daily commute home requires me to drive down Viphavadi-Rangsit past the old airport. I suppose the traffic this evening will be horrendous there (even the slightest hiccup on a normal day delays traffic badly around there.)

Any first hand accounts from people in the area? Is traffic getting backed up yet?

Cheers,

--T.

Hi All,

Does anyone have any idea on how to dispose of old hardware in Bangkok? Over the years, I have amassed a large pile of PC junk: power supplies, mice, keyboards, lan cards, other types of cards, flat cables, hard disk drives, floppy drives, CD drives, etc, etc, etc. Most of it is old and broken to some degree.

It doesn't seem right to just toss it all into the trash bin (not environmentally friendly either.) It would be nice to get a few baht for the pile but that's not important... I just want to get rid of it.

If anyone has any idea, please let me know.

Thanks!!!

--T.

I have this problem with IE also on one of my machines, not only with Hotmail but also with Bangkok Post. Try installing Mozilla Firefox on the same machine and see if it works. That worked for me.

It's going well so far...

His mom is his shadow now, taking him to school everyday. She is even taking him into the classes and sitting with him IN THE CLASS to make sure he's doing what he's supposed to be doing. The teachers love it. He hates it, of course, so he's starting to understand that if we can trust him to do it on his own, it won't be necessary.

We've further incentivized him with a cash reward program. Grades are on a scale 0 to 4. For evey 4 he gets, he'll earn 2000 baht. For 3, 1000. For a 2, 500 and for a 1, 50. But if he get's a 0 (fail,) then he gets -2000 baht from any winnings he's accumulated. If he gets 8 4's, I would HAPPILY pay him.

So things seem to be improving for the meantime.

Hope it keeps going well!!!

--T.

Done ...

I went to MBK 4th floor and got a Turbosim for 800 baht. That plus a piece of scotch tape and my 3G iPhone works just fine with my AIS sim card (granted, they had to punch a hole thru my AIS sim...) The phone works, I imported my contacts from Outlook and all those work, Wifi works, maps work when connected to Wifi.... so I'm happy. Pretty cool!

On my way out of MBK, I noticed a shop with a pile of turbosims in the display case... I asked 'how much,' he said, '1000 baht.'

Thanks all for your advice.

--T.

Thanks!!!

All I want to do is call, SMS, and stuff.... simple is fine. I shoud still be able to get WIFI, no?

Thanks for the advice...

--M.

Thanks for the replies.

Can anybody briefly explain Turbosim? What does that do / how does it work? If I take my 3G to MBK, will they be able to hook me up?

Note.. I'll be wary of anyone claiming there is a software unlock...

Thanks,

--T.

Also, How long would it take them to do the job at MBK? Is it a 'while you wait" operation?

Thx,

--T.

Thanks for the replies.

Can anybody briefly explain Turbosim? What does that do / how does it work? If I take my 3G to MBK, will they be able to hook me up?

Note.. I'll be wary of anyone claiming there is a software unlock...

Thanks,

--T.

Hi All,

I got a brand new iPhone from the US... 3G 16GB. It came with a service package (it was a gift.) Thing is, I don't live in the U.S.

I use AIS... where can I take my iPhone to have it customized so that i can use it with my AIS sim card??

Thanks for any advice.

Cheers,

--T.

OP Here...

Thank you ALL for your comments, advice and insights. There are a lot of factors and history that affect the current situation. There's no simple answer.

So we had a sort of 'intervention' with him last weekend: His mom, me, an uncle, 2 grandmothers, 2 aunts, and one step-grandfather. We gave him options. He chose to stay in school, so he says. The school has agreed to give him another chance. It is up to us to make sure he succeeds. We're all spending more time with him, following up closly and helping him on homework, and trying to support as well as police him. He knows we are all behind him and we are all very concerned.

We'll see whether our efforts help or not.... so far, so good.

Thank you all for your input... I appreciate it.

--T.

Hello All,

My long time girlfriend has a 13 year old son who lives with her mother and aunt in Bangkok. Now, he has effectively quit school and he is starting to drift away from home and family, not coming home for long periods and refusing to go to school, etc.

My question is if anyone knows of any program, special school, counselling, military-type school, etc that can help with this kid? He is on a bad path now, and his family has no idea how to motivate the kid to stay in school and put some effort into his own future. The family itself is weak, and doesn't have the structure or ability to turn the kid around.

Any advice at all on how to handle this sad situation is greatly appreciated... this boy is only 13 years old and he is blindly throwing his own life away by completely withdrawing from school and family so he can spend time with his equally young and misguided 'friends.' It's a sad and scary situation that no one around this kid has any idea how to fix.

Thanks in advance for any advice!!!

T.

The Semi-Final match-ups for Friday, 22 August 2008 are: (Bangkok time)

1.) 7:00 PM Spain vs. Lithuania

2.) 9:15 PM U.S.A. vs. Argentina

And the Gold Medal game is Sunday, 24 August at 1:30 PM

Does anyone know if these games will be broadcast in Thailand? I have truevisions (yes, I know, they suck and aren't showing any olympics.)

Only the US-China game was on on NBT a couple weeks ago.

If it's not gona be on free TV or truevisions, does anyone know a bar or other venue that might be showing the games via sattelite or somthing?

Thanks!!!

--T.

Another thing... while I'm thinking about it:

If your boyfriend speaks decent English, he should choose an English language interview, so he will be interviewed by an American embassy staffer (that's what my girlfriend did.)

I've heard from close friends (and others) stories of Thai language interviewers (most aren't American) being very harsh and even rude, while American interviewers tend to be nicer, more reasonable and more polite.

Again, this is not fact and based on hearsay, so take it for what it's worth. I can say that the American guy who interviewed us was firm, clear and abolutely polite and fair.

--T.

Hi Seville,

I had no problem getting my fiance a 10 year tourist visa to the States. The key was MY status, I beleive. I've been living and working here with a valid work permit for a long time (+10 years,) so I beleive they view my own ties to Thailand as the key factor, since she has no significant employment nor assets here.

So I would say that you should prepare his application and supporting docs in as much detail as possible and also do the same for yourself, and go together, prepared with everything.

You can review my story about the whole process here: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Us-Tourist-V...tourist+success .

Now here's an intersting bit of info, and it is purly a story and I have no way to confirm any of it, but, for what it's worth:

My brother works for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. He said that most of the investigation into our visa application probably centered on me and my family, since my name and my mother's were on the application as the preaprer and supporter (hence our 4 hour wait at the embassy before our interview.) When we finally went to the U.S., we breezed through immigration (we both went through the U.S. citizens line together) without a blink from the imigration official. My brother postulates that our immigration status and everything else about us was well known and predetermined before we even stepped onto our flight at Suvarnabumi, and that her visa status and ability to enter the U.S. is firmly linked to me travelling with her. (Big brother theorists can have fun with this idea.)

So good luck with your applcation... preparation and truthfulness will get you where you want to go.

Cheers,

tweezer

I know this is slightly off topic as this sign is from China, but it is one of my all time favorites....

They don't stop you cuz you're farang.

Oh Yes They Do!!!!!!

I frequently drive the Don Muang Tollway... almost daily in fact. The cops are out there with the radar every day from about 10:00 to 12:00, and then from about 13:00 to 16:00. I know that they are there are those times, so I never drive over 80 on the approach to the Don Muang tollbooth.

One day, I stopped at the booth to pay my 20 baht. One of the BIBs was standing there, right at the tollbooth. With my window down, I heard his radio go off... loud and clear... with one of his excited cohorts yelling "Farang! Farang! Farang!". The cop at the booth immediately stepped down and escorted me over to the side of the road.

I refused to give him my license, and explained to him... in thai and in a very irate tone... that I'd heard the call on his radio, and that I was not speeding and never do on that road as I know they are there. He gave me one of those stupid, shoulder-shrugging chuckles as if to say, "ha ha, yea, you got us!" And I went on my way.

These radar checks are just another excuse for Thailand's biggest street gang to line their pockets with your 'road tax.' Absolutely typical here. Just don't speed in the areas others have metioned in this thread...

Happy Motoring!

--T.

Thanks all for your replies. The reason I ask is that my G/F asked me to pay for her two kids tuitions for the semester... she said the 13 yr old will cost about 20K (I think it's a private Thai high school), and the young one (about 5 yrs old) will cost about 10K (the young one's school is upcountry.)

From what I read, it does not appear to be too far off.

Thanks for the reply... government schools or inexpensive private schools.

Thanks,

--T.

Hi,

I'm wondering if anyone knows what the typical school tuitions/fees are for a Thai youth to go to a normal Thai school (not an international school.)

What, roughly, would by the fee for a primary school for a kindergartner or first grader?

How about a typlicay fee for first or second year of high school?

Any insight is greatly appreciated!

Cheers,

--T.

These things can happen in ANY big city in the world, sometimes even when people are not looking for trouble. Just take a look at this one from NYC... http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years...071atrain1.html .

Moral of the story...in Thailand, you are generally safe as long as you don't p*s* people off... avoid confrontation when you're out and about at all times.