Andrew Dwyer

Keep the recommendations coming they are always welcome. Constructive criticism is good if it is justified, but not always welcome if it is not:

I watched it and liked it , watched it before all the hype dropped so wasn’t expecting too much but was pleasantly surprised. ( although I do agree that the VIP’s were an unnecessary side story as reviewed by many) Anyhoo !! Here’s a Japanese similar series which many have compared to Squid Game . Alice in Borderland https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10795658/

The Last Bus Timothy Spall playing Tom, a pensioner on a mission to spread his wife’s ashes at Lands End, problem is he is at John O’Groats and decides to make the journey using only local buses !! Finally this has appeared for stream on fmovies or dl on the usual sites. ( must be 6 months ago when I 1st mentioned this ) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9410034/

Some of Rick’s fish took me instantly back to my youth !! My dad’s hobby at the time was tropical fish, he extended the garage and made an enclosed unit called the “ fish house “ where he would breed several species for the weekend shows. The shows were very important to my dad and he would put the fish into their jars ( reminiscent of the old sweet jars ) to be then packed carefully into the polystyrene boxes to maintain the temperature. The shows were usually in some old church hall in places like Colne or Nelson. We (Mum, 2 brothers and myself) would usually drop dad off , then have a wander round the town, coming back later to see if he had won ?. An over large rosette for 1st, 2nd and 3rd or a tacky wooden “ trophy “ ( for want of a better word ) for best in show, we had a house full of this stuff !! The names of these fish still remain in my memory: Kissing Gourami Tiger Barb Kuhli Loach Angel Fish Siamese fighting fish My dad was particularly proud of the Red Tailed Shark which usually got the most attention at the mention of its name, immediately followed by the most disappointment when actually viewed as it was not much bigger than an Angel Fish. Plecostomus ( plecostomus plecostomus ) was my favourite , stuck permanently to the glass its function purely to clean the tank and make the others look good !! Apologies for the slight deviation, back to Isaan ……………..

This Ayutthaya fishing park is feeling the pinch !!

I replaced some of my circular fluorescent bulbs with LED’s but mine are more like this: Straight replacement, just take the starter out ( can work with or without ballast ) , have plug fitted. Brighter ( replaced a 32w with a 20w ) , cheaper to run and get rid of that flickering on start. Also have 3 magnets on back but mine clipped into the existing brackets. These are much simpler to change than the video, unplug the bulb, take out the starter, put new led bulb and plug it in , done in 30 seconds. Lamptan were 308 baht, but bought CTV at 209 baht and are identical.

Coincidentally, in my case, a large tree adjacent to my property was brought down with the wind last night.The moobahn headman , who together with his small team trim all the trees in the common areas, had informed personal at the bank that the tree had a lot of movement and was hanging over 2 other properties. Luckily it has fallen away from my property and not appeared to have done any damage. Will be interesting to see if the bank actually bother to clear this now. No signs of the squirrel that was living there though unfortunately .

I received an email ( normal Thai female name ) that I could get a Covid19 vaccine at my local hospital, no indication on the email that it was related to expatvac. Later on my neighbour informed me that my name was on a list for vaccination at the local Tessabahn. Replies from expatvac registration can come in many different ways incl email, SMS and phone call. I recommend you try asking at your local hospital, health centre or Tessabahn.

Agree that the banks do the least to sell the house other than some advertising in the bank itself. In our case a bank pick up with about 7 workers in it showed up one day, we presumed they were going to clear the “ jungle “ and the trash in the garden ( already 3 years ). But no, they sat on the front porch, ate some food and drink then 1 guy put a “ No entry “ bank sign on the gate while the other 6 gave helpful advice !!, changed the padlock then left .

Similar story here: House opposite me became vacant about 3 years ago, young couple living there from new ( about 1 year ) couldn’t make the payments and the bank reclaimed. The garden is becoming a jungle and a neighbour and myself would occasionally go inside and cut back the undergrowth, recently the Government Bank came, put a “ Do not enter “ sign and changed the padlock. The garden is full of trash ( some old gym equipment that the owners bought to sell ) and the garden + house is now being taken over by those “ creepers “ type plants. The bank have never entered the premises, to my knowledge, yet must have it listed for sale/rent as occasionally people do come and take a [quick] look from outside. The house is on a cul de sac of 6 houses so it is obvious when people are coming to view, most don’t get out of the car . I am torn between the advantages of not having a neighbour ( more parking, no noise, other issues) or living next to an eyesore.

Arbi’s is the one with the “ horsey” sauce and the roast beef sandwiches, pretty good although some say their bread tasted sweet. I did like their market fresh sandwiches, not available in LOS unfortunately.

Usually see a store in the malls here selling two or three different models but rarely seen them in the wild, seen a couple at the larger markets. The portability aspect of them is good, chuck a couple in the back of the car on a day trip to the park or the beach and the kids are happy, I can see the appeal there. While they do have some “ fancy gadget “ appeal so did Segways and Hoverboards . Difficult to see them catching on here as prices of bicycles and scooters are so competitive. These seem more attractive at the moment, a few different models available: After all, why stand when you can sit down ??

I just watched this and loved it !! Kinda like a Korean version of Hunger Games but with some interesting and different characters ( not all young and good looking). The games are simple yet clever ………… and deadly !!, some good special effects too . Recommend !

Isac It would appear, from UJ’s post, that you are unlucky and will have to buy the mandatory health insurance. A call or visit to your IO will confirm this. If this is the case then you will need the 400k/40k insurance ( not the $100,000 Covid19 cover needed for entry ). The cheapest cover is LMG using a 200k deductible and will cost you 6k to 11k depending upon your age. I have used LMG twice for extension of stay based on retirement ( OA Visa ) , the last time 2 weeks ago, their service is quick and easy . I will pm you with a contact email to speed up the process if you are required to go this route.

There was talk of 1st AZ then 2nd Pfizer program starting in October and my Thai gf ( 40 yr old ) was hoping to get this. But it seems to have disappeared off the map to be replaced with a 1st shot Sinovac program !! Now she is hopeful of a walk-in Sinopharm program coming here ( Ayutthaya ) instead of the AZ/Pfizer . As many others she is wary of Sinovac due to the bad press it has received. Teenagers were due to get 1 shot of Pfizer but sounds like they are now getting 1 shot of Sinopharm !! With all the Pfizer that is reportedly due to arrive this year it’s difficult to know where this is destined ?? Maybe the major plan now is 1 SV, 2 AZ, booster Pfizer ?? I have no idea and am not sure the government has either !!

A stunt is the wrong word I think , a stunt implies it was intentional, the word “disaster” is more apt . The boat was caught where the Chao Phraya and Pasak rivers converge , the excessive volume of water caused the tugboat to capsize. You can clearly see the female victim unaware she is seconds from death. RIP Somchai and Naruemo

The scenes of the tug boat being taken down at the convergence of the Chao Phraya and Pasak rivers yesterday in Ayutthaya was a stark reminder of the strength this water carries when it arrives in volume. The female victim seen clearly helpless as the disaster rapidly unfolded. RIP to the 60 yr old tugboat captain and his wife. ( Somchai and Naruemo )

In Ayutthaya we had heavy rain for about an hour and a half starting at around 5 am, more disconcerting was the gurgling sound from the drains afterwards !! In a bungalow in a concrete moobahn am certainly feeling at risk, some houses on the moobahn have constructed a “simple” higher ground structure, bit late for me, maybe a visit to the local Wat is in order !!

No “ woke “ stuff here. Brian Johnson’s: A Life on the Road (2017-2019) tv series 12 eps imdb 8.7 Lead singer of AC/DC gets to meet some well known names from the world of rock and pop ( Roger Daltrey, Nick Mason, Robert Plant , Paul Rodgers, Joe Walsh, Billy Joel, Mark Knopfler, Mick Fleetwood and Dolly Parton amongst others ) to discuss their lives and current passions. An excellent series with some down to earth chatting about their rise to fame including some interesting footage from past to present. https://youtu.be/mVJI6UUZ0g4 Available in all the usual places.

8 hours later:

Yes, I am on a retirement extension .

You will need the 400k/40k insurance to renew an extension of stay from an initial OA ( retirement ). Although, having said that, I renewed my extension ( OA retirement) a few days ago and immigration never even asked to look at the policy or certificate. I am assuming that the insurance company LMG had put it into the database ?? @ubonjoe , I am assuming it is still required .( Ayutthaya IO )

Signed in with Apple as on an iPhone.

Thanks worked for me. Scanning the passport chip seems to be causing problems to some. I had to have the top of my iPhone ( case removed ) about halfway down my passport before it would start to scan. NOTE: Thailand Vaccination Certificates not currently accepted.

Google gave me this: You can verify your ShopeePay account by uploading your Identify Card (IC) or passport (for foreigners) on the Shopee App.