ricklev

I did it recently. No documents were required. It was a few months wait for the phone interview appointment with Manilla. The interview was only a few minutes of confirmation of what I submitted and future work plans. A few weeks after the interview I got my first direct deposit to my USA bank for 5 months back benefits, as that is how long had passed since I submitted my start date in the online application.

I I agree completely about the banner and the up arrow. Why? Are there people who like that floating distraction? Maybe it is just my problem and the developers know better than me. It is their investment and their money so....

No, I just recalled reading lots of complaints about delayed transfers, followed by the service being unavailable so I assumed so.

I am curious if anyone lost money with the closure of Dee Money?

Personally, I prefer not have any fixed stuff on my screen, but maybe that is just me. So the up arrow on the left and the bar at the bottom (now) are just annoying distractions to me. However, what do I know?

Please reconsider your decision to put a banner in the bottom third of the screen. Thanks.

I suggested to the owner of my condo that they install a TCL 24,000 BTU inverter that was around 18,000 baht but they said that their AC technician found TCL unreliable and they installed a Central Air inverter that they said cost 25,000 baht. I assume that that the AC installer had a bigger profit on the Central Air unit, but I am curious if Central Air has a good reputation. It replaced an absurdly big and noisy floor unit mounted on the ceiling that was also a Central Air unit. (Looked like the front end of a 62 Chevy!)

I replaced an old AC in a condo I rent and it left a few large marks on the ceiling and revealed about a meter of peeling paint that had been hidden by the old AC. Is there anywhere in Bangkok I can take a large piece of the peeled paint and have them match the color so the whole room and ceiling does not need to be repainted? I am assuming I need a serious paint store, not Homepro, although I have not checked. Thanks.

Surprisingly, it was cheaper for me to buy my Beelink mini PC from Amazon USA than Lazada, free shipping and low import duties. However, it may be worth the extra 1500 baht or so for the local warranty from Beelink. Works great! Amazing value!

Unfortunately, the Gillette Fusion razor is the greatest technological achievement in the history of shaving and there is no substitute. There will be people who tell you there is a better alternative or who fetishize old fashioned razors and the rituals surrounding them but they are wrong, wrong, wrong. Of this, I am surer of than anything else in this crazy damn world!

At Bang Chak in Bangkok, the peripheral color test involved putting your chin in a machine and identifying red or green dots randomly projected peripherally. If I remember correctly I had to call out the colors. It may also have included yellow.

Yes, actually I upgraded my 2 year license issued in Bangkok to a 5 year license in Chiang Mai and then renewed that in Bangkok, as during covid they were not using the peripheral vision color blind test machine.

You can use any office to renew your license so it might be worth checking which offices will give you a 5 year license with a DTV visa. Bangkok does this absurd peripheral color blind test I could not pass. Chiang Mai just wanted me to recognize red, green and yellow circles. No problem. That is where I go now even though I live in Bangkok. I have an old style work permit with my address on it and they used my Bangkok address. No residency certificate required.

I am curious if anyone has any experiences with purchasing and using Ozempic or other semaglutides as injections or tablets. Just generally interested in your experiences... Are cheaper generic forms from India available anywhere in Bangkok? I am wondering if a short trip to India would pay for itself. No idea really...

I clean my toilet with pride. Best 60 baht I ever spent on Lazada. No offense intended.

I am sure they know that not providing reminders increases the number of 2000 baht fines.

In that case, we are basically in agreement and this old left-wing liberal nut and you can walk peacefully together into the sunset. 🙂

Excellent!!! That is exactly the reason I don't eat chicken, pork or beef. I actually have no problem with the quick death of the animal, it is the long suffering life of factory farmed animals I don't want to participate in. I have never lectured anyone about it. What to eat is a personal decision and we all make ethical compromises.

I think that obnoxious vegan lecturing you and demanding you change what you eat lives mostly in your brain. I would bet real money you have never actually had a conversation like that.

Well, the math is a little beyond me, but if I put off paying for Part B from 65 to 85 because I have remained in Thailand I would have saved around $50,000. That will pay for a lot of months (depending on the Part B premium in the future, I guess) even at three times the Part B monthly premium. Don't forget, there is no urgency about getting Part B. I can get it immediately on returning to the USA, if need be. I am fairly certain if I get a serious illness leading to drastically reduced quality of life at 85 it will be suicide for me, but who knows when push comes to shove. However, I am not averse to being told I am wrong and foolish.

Let's agree on the need to have secure borders and the deportation of illegal immigrants and agree to disagree on the need to dehumanize and degrade them.

Thanks. I fully understand the difference. I am balancing the Part B savings of $10,000 versus the penalty cost over five years and into the future. It would be quite useful to know exactly when I will die, but there is only one way to know that for sure. 🙂 The 10 percent increase per year penalty stops when you finally do enroll in Part B, right?

Worthless scum! (Oh! Wow! That does feel good. I get it now. Never mind!)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/01/28/colombia-migrants-trump-petro/ BOGOTÁ, Colombia — President Donald Trump threatened to punish Colombia with tariffs, a travel ban and other sanctions to compel it to accept deportation flights carrying “Illegal Criminals.” But Colombian officials said there were no criminals among the two planeloads of migrants the U.S. government sent over Tuesday. Among the more than 200 deportees were two pregnant women and more than 20 children, Colombian officials said after the flights landed.

My closest 7-11 sells Budweiser brewed under license in Vietnam for 56 baht for a tall can and I am here to say that that watery less than great but drinkable on a hot day American beer is better than any beer brewed in Thailand.