Andrew Dwyer

Came back from the mall and one of the old lady’s Buddha photos had fallen off the chest of drawers it was propped up on. The cat got the blame !! Didn’t feel it personally but reports it was felt here in Ayutthaya.

and Nid Noi is a troll !!

Sadly when i look at my fb friends list more and more of them have passed on. It appears their accounts remain and the only activity is the occasional birthday wishes from friends who are unaware of their passing or those who believe Facebook is somehow transmitting messages to the afterlife !!

Nope 👎 But as if by magic i received an email from HMPO saying my new passport is ready for pick up and 2 hours later the same from VFS. Hopefully i will get a “ rate our service “ survey from HMPO to fill in but somehow i think it unlikely.

An early Songkran gift of an icy bucket of water would have sorted him out !

Reading a thread on an Aus FB group about the differences between BYD Seal and BYD SL 7 . It was inevitable that someone posted this but I thought interesting :

No, the helpline contacted me via email, thankfully as I would have racked up a lot of time on calls. help(at)customerservice.hmpo.gov.uk

So, have been communicating with a HMPO helpline line via email for a month now. They finally admitted that they had copied my email address down wrongly after sending me 5 SMS messages telling me they had emailed me ( to a wrong address ). I had, since day 1, repeatedly informed them, via the helpline, of my correct email address ( via email 🙄) the advice number quoted on the helpline emails and the reference number quoted in the SMS’s. Simply put, it took 1 month for the HMPO Helpline to inform HMPO that they were using the wrong email address, during which time i communicated with several helpline staff ( even though they only sign off as HMPO not their names) and had to repeat the whole 2 passport saga several times. At one point they started a new email thread with the same advice number so i had to start from scratch. Upon finally admitting their error in noting the email address they requested my second passport to be returned even though they have had it in their possession for 2 weeks !! I sent a quite lengthy and colourful email explaining that they had my 2nd passport already for 2 weeks. The next day, last Friday, i received an email from HMPO ( not the helpline this time ) accepting my application and stating my application has been accepted and that my passport is being printed. Another email reminding me to sign it !! Now waiting for VFS to get in touch, as they possibly noted my email down wrong or illegibly I will phone them in a week. So, there is a light at the end of the tunnel but it is very dark !!

I suspect in that case they would use an agent and I assume agent would return expiring passport together with new passport ( as he needs it for pick up ) and not return after the application is completed. At the moment they are quoting 4 weeks for completion ( seen some claims it took 3 weeks recently ) so not too bad but I would have to think long and hard about giving up my passport for a long time, for example when it was 12 weeks a year or so ago !

Uk passport renewal does not need passport to be sent with application if you do it in person. Staff at VFS will check your photocopies represent your passport, the copies sent with application and your passport handed back to you.

So did the price go up in between Dec and now ? If so, then it seems similar to what they did with the Seal and sales will be high in Nov/Dec and March with people just waiting for the “ show price “.

Just to clarify @Nid_Noi ‘s controversial comment “ Tesla still has 39.9% of EV market share in Thailand “ He forgot to add the word “ USED “ and added the “ IN THAILAND “ part !! The actual quote is : and refers to Global Tesla sales. “ The jury should disregard that comment “

Well that was quick, and probably not welcome by those who recently bought .

Is it only 2 episodes ??

yup, expect the BYD Dolphin to drop the price a little anytime soon !! Although to be honest i have lost track of the prices !

For those seeking a cheap alternative to Neta V for example. https://autolifethailand.tv/official-price-aion-ut-ev-thailand/

Hotting up ! https://autolifethailand.tv/official-price-gwm-ora-good-cat-so-blue/

As are the discounts. https://autolifethailand.tv/official-price-omoda-c5-discount-motor-show-2025/

Having posted the above post i have to say that there is a charging curve and if i charge at a 120 kWh charger i can get around 115 kWh but that will drop off to around 79 kWh and then around 44 kWh as the battery gets closer to 100%. So if you are constantly topping up your battery at 75 % SOC then you are unlikely to get more than 80 kWh or if you have to share a 120 kWh charger then will probably get around 57 kWh. So, yes, 115 kWh is available but not all the time. My Seal is supposed to achieve 150 kWh charging but i haven’t had the opportunity to test ( a Shell pump with a 180 kWh charger would provide ). Some of the 20% to 80% figures can be misleading but not impossible, its all marketing. In a similar vein the quoted range figures can be achieved but you wouldn’t want to drive that way, as ICE would often quote MPG figures, difficult but not impossible.

Probably not all but I would say most, i have had those results in Ayutthaya, Nakhon Sawan, Kaempang Phet, Lampang, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. Oh and i forgot to add PEA Volta to my previous list, but will admit PEA Volta have many 50 kWh chargers. Even so, here’s the map of PEA Volta DC chargers over 120 kWh.

Charging at 115 kWh is quite easy at PTT, PT and Bangchak .

Lockerbie ( 2025 ) Colin Firth stars in this 5 part mini series about the tireless efforts of one man to find the truth about who sanctioned, built and planted the bomb that ended 370 lives. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31029686/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

Bradley Walsh: Egypt’s Cosmic Code BW, in case you didn’t know is a U.K. actor more commonly known in light entertainment and soap opera but now a popular game show host. Apparently having a passion for the wonders of Egypt, the pyramids in particular, he sets off to try and discover the mysteries surrounding these ancient monuments. An interesting show with the usual facts and figures about the timeline of the ancient world including the myths commonly associated with who created these amazing buildings. Spoilt only by Bradley trying to turn it into a stand up routine and at times being extremely silly. Michael Palin he ain’t !! This will appeal more to bored British housewives than serious Egyptologist students. Its a shame, i would say if you like BW’s humour then give it a go, if not give it a wide berth !!

So, here’s one to avoid like the plague !! LOL: Last one Laughing U.K. - Season 1 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt35050741/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk You might like the odd episode of 8 out of 10 cats ( countdown ) or Would I lie to you or any other U.K. show full of the same old tired comedians. These shows have some high points though, David Mitchell’s rants or Bob Mortimer’s absurd stories, in reality since the demise of Sean Lock they are just a bunch of second rate performers who don’t have proper jobs. But this latest offering of “ U.K.’s top 10 comedians “ is just an insult to our comedic intelligences. I mean who are Roisin Conaty, Rob Beckett, Joe Wilkinson, Judy Love, Joe Lovett and a bunch of nameless others hoping to entertain with a game show where the idea is not to make the others laugh ?? If that wasn’t bad enough guess who is in charge ? ….. yup Jimmy Carr !! IMDB gives it an 8.1 rating but expect that to drop like a stone when the reviewers actually watch this dross . Yes, I did take one for the team and watch the first 10 minutes but only so you don’t have to, you are welcome !!