Damrongsak

We got the equivalent of 12 million Baht when our son was killed in Iraq in 2005. I'd gladly give 5x that amount to have him back.

In the US the jackpots for Mega Millions and Powerball just keep increasing until someone wins. There must be a dozen or more payouts in excess of $500 million. The 3 largest single winners: $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018 (one ticket, from South Carolina) $1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022 (one ticket, from Illinois) $1.05 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021 (one ticket, from Michigan)

It's just a matter of money. Some have very little.

I dislike sun roofs. Leaky, complex, whatever. I inherited a Lexus with a sunroof. The damned thing opened itself in the night. Fortunately is wasn't raining. A friend has a Volvo SUV and it did the same, but it rained. Lots of damage.

He should read my book. I've driven pickup trucks for years, in wet, snow and ice. They handle like a hog on ice. Easy does it.

Yes, Chinese government owned. They own 4 major car manufacturers.

Not sure if this is legit, but seems reasonable: http://thailawforum.com/database1/thailand-gun-law.html

In many local buyback programs in the USA, gun aficionados would show up and buy very valuable guns for much more than the program paid, but much lower than the actual market value. Stupid people selling valuable antiques for the price of a big meal at a fast-food restaurant!

They should try to get lessons on flying the F-35. Don't buy the planes, just pay for lessons. Of course, insurance would be very $$$. But no worries about technology transfer, unless they land in China.

For sure. 44 years ago I had to get a Thai person to vouch for my character at the office in Muang Loei that registers marriages. I put my old, somewhat infirm landlord in a samlor and went in there. He was immediately recognized and the apologies flowed for inconveniencing an old man. I think he probably had relatives working there. At any rate, he had been the Superintendent of Education for all of Loei Province I think. We were in and out in a couple minutes.

Strange, but I kinda like it.

In the U.S.: Federal law makes it unlawful for certain individuals to possess firearms. These "prohibited persons" include those who have been convicted of any felony or a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. Either type of conviction will typically result in a lifetime ban. (The law also prohibits those subject to most domestic violence restraining orders from having a gun while the order is in effect.) This came about with the Gun Control Act of 1968. Some states have additional laws.

Chrome plating can be put on various metallic substrates. It can be very durable or not, depending on the quality of the plating. Stainless steel (which is not really "stainless") is steel with a significant percentage of Chromium in the mix. There are many alloys and corrosion resistance varies a LOT. Alloy 304 is pretty common, 316 is used in corrosive marine environments, etc. I don't know if anyone makes fully "stainless" fixtures or if that's just a trade name for what the finish looks like. That is, shiny chrome plating vs. "brushed chrome" or some such. Could be the same cheap Zinc inside. Or, if your lucky, brass inside. I hate doing plumbing repairs! Here in the US, I recently replaced 3 bathroom sink faucets that were about 25 years old. @#%$!!!. One more to go, but I decided to come to Thailand for two months instead. At least here, you only have to deal with cold water faucets, not hot and cold.

45 years ago I'd buy some Valium when I took the overnight bus to BKK. Lots of other stuff was available, I'm sure.

I just came back to our house in Loei 10 days ago, about 1 km from city center. I'll be here about 60 days with a side trip to Vietnam. Trimmed off a few droopy palm leaves in the yard, talked to a couple of my wife's 40 or so bantam chickens, chat with relatives. Loei Town is not much more exciting than it was in 1978. Highlights of the day are going to the market at 5:30 in the morning and buying beer off-hours. At any rate, there are some really nice houses here. Close in but off the beaten path.

It's like giving someone a knife that they like. You have to sell it for 5 Baht or bad luck.

My wife has been cutting my hair for 45 years. Prior to that I never paid for a haircut. I did send her to a fancy school in BKK. She's an accomplished seamstress and hair cutter.

Magroot is the fruit of the Kaffir lime. Used in shampoo and whatnot. Bai magroot are the leaves, used in cooking. Bai = leaf.

The suggested retail price of a CT125 here in the States is about 150,000 Baht. K-Speed did a cool mod version:

No doubt shark fin soup. And the RD NEST sign is probably Bird Nest soup.

Reminds me of the French restaurant scene in European Vacation where they get served frozen dinners.

A couple reviews: https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/toyo-at-3-all-terrain-tire-review/ https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/toyo-at3/

More or less... around $800-$900 each. each.

My old 4x4 Toyota truck has 15 inch rims, so there are fewer selections these days. Goodrich was one contender. I just recently bought Toyo Open Country A/T 3 since I couldn't get the same Bridgestones that were on it. $166 per tire here in the US ( plus mounting) for P235/75 R15 108T. (IIRC the Bridgestones were more than that well over 10 years ago.)